Chantiers Piriou announce launch of ‘Yersin’

Last week, French shipbuilder, Chantiers Piriou announced the launch of its new vessel, Yersin.

Branded as a ‘trans-ocean motor and explorer vessel’ by the company, Yersin was launched on 26^th January 2015 in Concarneau in Brittany, France where her build began back in November 2012.

Designed by Pierre Jacques Kubais Naval Design in collaboration with the in-house team at Piriou Engineering, the hull is 76.60m in length and has been designed for world cruising in extreme weather conditions between -20°C and +50°C with its ice-classed steel hull.

The motor yacht has a diesel-electric propulsion system with six generators producing power for 1,500kw pods. This will give a top speed of 15 knots, and a cruising speed of 11 knots with an impressive range of 12,000nm. 

An additional central pump-jet allows for cruising in shallow waters, lakes or rivers, independently capable of a top speed of six knots.

In-keeping with the trend for lessened environmental impact, the yacht has, among other features, exhaust fume filters and sewage and grey water treatment plants.

She accommodates 18 passengers on-board in a high standard of comfort, in addition to its 18 crew members. The vessel is destined for research campaigns and will carry several tenders for this work, including a 11m cabin cruiser, two 7.5m semi-rigid inflatables, a barge and a seaplane.

When commissioned, the order was welcome news for the shipbuilding industry with 500,000 hours of work scheduled, including 150,000 hours for subcontractors, equating to 200 full-time jobs over the build schedule of three years. The Piriou shipyard was upgraded especially to execute this project.

The vessel is due for delivery and official presentation in May 2015.

For more information, visit Chantiers Piriou.