NZ's richest man reveals Covid lockdown project: A custom-built ...

Feadship/Supplied

The name of the vessel has not been publically shared, but the manufacturer dubbed the secretive build “project1011”.

Kiwi billionaire Graeme Hart has taken delivery of his latest superyacht, said to be a 102-metre custom-built feat of engineering.

Specifications released by the manufacturer, Feadship, reveal the yacht has four outdoor hot tubs and a pool occupying the full height of the main deck, accessed via a pool deck.

It also has a helipad and a hangar and the largest tender boat garage door that the firm has ever installed on a luxury vessel.

Hart’s daughter Gretchen Hawkesby shared a clip on social media of the christening ceremony in the Netherlands, with the traditional smashing of a champagne bottle on the hull.

The video shows a visibly excited Hart and TV cameras in the background.

“A wet and windy Amsterdam didn't dampen our excitement in launching our new family boat,” Hawkesby wrote in a post.

Ricky Wilson/Stuff

Graeme Hart’s fortune was estimated by Forbes.com as being US$6.4 billion.

She shared that the vessel was a project born of the Covid lockdown and involved “many hours of design and love”.

Feadship, meanwhile, did not disclose that it was Hart who had commissioned the yacht, but did say he had “pushed the boundaries in terms of design and engineering”.

“He wanted to be part of the team, which ordinarily is something we try to avoid,” chief executive Henk de Vries said.

“But, he was fully prepared to collaborate, and our working relationship ended up being both friendly and fun.”

According to the manufacturer’s statement, Hart approached the firm with the “challenging” brief of fitting the same amenities as his previous 6000 tonne yacht into a smaller, sleeker 3000 tonne model.

Feadship/Supplied

Manufacturer Feadship said the yacht build “pushed the boundaries of engineering”.

The smaller vessel will enable the Hart family to better access anchorages and harbours while on holiday.

It has 20 crew cabins, seven staterooms for guests, two VIP guest staterooms, a captain’s cabin and the owner’s stateroom on a private deck. It also has a “hospital” onboard, about which little detail is revealed.

Other novel features include a “towering” glass staircase and elevator in the main atrium. It is also said to have a wintergarden that can be opened up to the outdoors.

A senior designer and project manager on the build told Superyacht Times that the design was done in 2020, and the three-year build schedule was “aggressive” for such a complex job.

Hart is a known superyacht enthusiast, having also owned the 3000 tonne Here Comes the Sun, which was reportedly recently sold for US$200 million.

He also owned the larger US$195 million Ulysses, as well as U81, a support yacht that accompanies and complements other vessels with its helipad and basketball court.

Hart has built a packaging industry empire and his fortune was estimated by Forbes.com as being US$6.4 billion (NZ$10.5b), making him New Zealand's richest man.