When most megayacht builders want to expand their facilities, they build outward. In the case of Feadship’s Royal Van Lent, however, the yard is going underground -- literally.

The shipyard is situated on a small island, with few options to expand outward, given the proximity of other buildings and structures. Rather than permit this to restrict the LOAs it wants to build--specifically, yachts exceeding 60 meters (197 feet)--the yard’s personnel figured out that it could dig.

This coming August, phase one begins. It involves widening the build shed doors and moving the dry-dock door forward about five meters (16 feet). Next, also starting in August, the superyacht builder will renovate one of its two slipways. Currently it can only accommodate builds to 45 meters (148 feet), so Royal Van Lent will excavate and extend it.

Royal Van Lent will also eventually benefit from renovations going on in nearby towns. The locks in Gouda are being widened two meters (about 6'6"), to 14 meters (46 feet). The towns of Oude and Nieuwe Wetering are embarking on same-length expansions of their bridges. All of this will permit the larger superyachts to pass, once the work is completed in 2012.