Page 88 - Damen Shipyards Group

88 VESSEL FOCUS | DAMEN THREESIXTY 89

Damen is no stranger to pushing back
the boundaries of engineering, but even
by Damen’s pioneering standards this

extraordinary new vessel – the Damen
ThreeSixty - will make heads turn.

In the spirit of disruptive innovation, Damen decided to take a fresh
look at the ferry sector, particularly sightseeing boats, which is largely
known as one of the most traditional arenas in the maritime industry.
Most people have had that holiday experience of sitting on a crowded
vessel, craning to look left and right hoping to get a glimpse of the
view; hoping they have chosen the right side to sit on, hoping there is
not a 2-metre tall Dutchman sat nearest the small, misted-up window…

UNVEILING THE

Out of the box into the perfect circle
DAMEN THREESIXTY: The answer was simple: everyone wanted the best view possible and
In an hour-long, standing-only meeting, the Damen Ferries team asked
the question: “What sightseeing experience would they like to have?”
the best way of making sure of this was by developing a circular vessel,
with huge fl oor-to-ceiling windows. Not only will this give the ultimate,
scenic view, it could also provide a revolutionary tourist attraction for
any city, port, estuary or lake.
A GREAT ALL-ROUNDER Henk Grunstra, product director Ferries comments: “Sightseeing
boats that look like ferries have been the ‘norm’ for decades. We want
passengers to have a different, improved visitor experience with the
optimum view outside, with windows all the way around.”
Rather than sail in only one direction, the concept is that the Damen
ThreeSixty will sail along a predefi ned course and will rotate at certain
points so the view is constantly changing. “This will be a totally
different experience for passengers. The concept could open up a new
market for tour operators, as the vessel really adds value in terms of
customer experience.”