Tankoa Yachts has launched the third hull in the Italian shipyard’s 50 meter All-Aluminium Series – the Darth Vadar looking “M/Y Olokun.

In a technical launch at their boutique yard in Genoa, Italy, Tankoa Yachts launched the third hull in their 50 meter (164ft) all-aluminum series.

With a layout similar to her predecessors, M/Y Olokun was started on spec before being sold in March 2020 and designed by Francesco Paszkowski with interiors by Casadio Miami/London, a US-based studio with a focus on luxury residential, aviation, and marine design.

Featuring fold-down terraces in the owner’s suite on the forward main deck, the semi-displacement hull also has a side-loading tender garage in the stern and a spacious beach club in the transom.

Where M/Y Olokun differs from the previous two hulls is a change to the design of the main deck aft, which has been dedicated exclusively to an enormous lounge for relaxation, with the dining room moved to the upper deck. Meanwhile, the forward master stateroom features a private study that can be converted into an extra ensuite cabin when needed.

“S501 hull number 3 was started on spec and the owner came into the project quite late during construction, but as a boutique shipyard we wanted to offer him maximum flexibility to tailor the yacht to his personal needs,” said Tankoa Yachts CEO Vincenzo Poerio as he shared on the design process of M/Y Olokun. “The second cabin connected to his own suite on the main deck is a good example. It meant cutting a hole in the bulkhead and re-routing all the wiring so his private office could be converted into a cabin.

M/Y Olokun will now undergo full yacht systems testing and have the interior outfitting completed before sea trials and final delivery later this year.

Dutch shipyard Feadship has revealed megayacht concept “Project FG – Freddie Gump” inspired by rockstar Freddie Mercury and the fictional character Forrest Gump.

Dutch shipyard Feadship’s newest concept, “Project FG” or as its more affectionately known “Freddie Gump,” is the latest design to be revealed from the “Carte Blanch Exclusives” archives.

Designed to inspire the next generation of yacht owners (and even those who had never even considered one), yacht concepts like these from Feadship’s De Voogt Design Studio explore technologically feasible design concepts while incorporating the preferences and requests of the clients.

In conversation with Feadship Sales Director, Marsha van Buitenen, De Voogt senior designer Jan Schaffers explained Project FG “Freddie Gump” concept came to life through a brokers course held at the shipyard that helps brokers understand the design process.

Initially, the group was tasked with creating an imaginary client and landed on a character of extremes – someone with a party attitude but very down to earth. The inspiration? Freddie Mercury and the fictional down to earth Forrest Gump played by Tom Hanks.

“The group wanted a character that embodied extremes,” says Feadship sales director Marsha Van Buitenen. “They thought about a client that one hand has a party attitude but on the other is very down to earth as well. They combined a fictional character and a real character to dream up the client – for the down to earth side, it was Forest Gump, and for the wilder side, it was Freddie Mercury. With that, Freddie Gump as born.”

Translated into a client design, Project FG “Freddie Gump” is a 109-meter superyacht that hosts 22 sleeping guests and speaks to both parts of the Freddie Gump personality.

On the aft deck a huge outdoor beach club (four times larger than Feadship designed “Savannah”) accommodates parties of up to 300 people while a panoramic piano lounge on the upper deck acts as the heart of the superyacht and the meeting point of the two personalities – a place that both Freddie Mercury and Forrest Gump could retire to as dusk falls and from where the rest of the yacht design branches out into the individual elements of each character.

Other unique design elements of Project FG include a pop-up table tennis court on the tip of the bow that features a glass tube that “pops up” at the push of a button and encloses the table-tennis table so that the players are protected from the effects of the wind.

One particular design feature that certainly caters to the rockstar inspirations of Freddie Mercury is the hidden club for where the really crazy parties happen – even crazier than those happening on the aft deck. Guests are not given directions on how to get there but instead have to find a hidden door past an engine in the superyacht’s belly.

Freddie’s influence also extends to the yacht’s exterior with the golden orange glass reminiscent of the tinted glasses often worn by Mercury.

While Project FG Freddie Gump has yet to find an owner, the technically feasible Feadship design is still open for the kind of owner with an appreciation for wild nights of partying like Mercury and peaceful days of relaxation.

Italian designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini of Lazzarini Design Studio shares initial concept design of the swan-shaped “Avanguardia” Megayacht concept.

Italian based Lazzarini Design Studio has created many futuristic concepts over the years ranging from automotive cars, Mayan-inspired floating pyramid communities, and aerospace solutions but never a megayacht of these proportions.

Named “Avanguardia” (meaning vanguard in English), the 137-meter megayacht concept features flowing lines and a unique movable control tower that gives it the swan-like appearance, doubling as a 16-meter tender boat when lowered to the water and released.

When in an upright position, the “swan head” can be used as the control tower, but when in motion can also be lowered to “tuck” into the center of the megayacht. To release the tender for use, the swan head folds forward and allows passengers to disembark to the tender via a staircase along the crane extension.

With an estimated construction cost of $500 million, Avanguardia consists of five decks and is designed to accommodate 24 guests and a staff of 22, although a total of 60 passengers can be entertained onboard.

The proposed propulsion system consists of twin fully electric side engines and a central MTU Rolls-Royce engine designed to deliver a cruising speed of 18 knots. At the rear of the Avanguardia superyacht concept, the rear deck incorporates a landing platform for two jet capsules (also designed by Lazzarini Design Studio) that can also act as auxiliary propulsion for the megayacht.

Avanguardia also features two heliports onboard and features a side garage for extra tenders and even vehicles if desired.