The Azimut/Benetti group won the tender called by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, to build a 35-meter conference yacht for delivery in December 2018.

The group was chosen to build the boat commissioned by the city of Tokyo, to host conferences and presentations.

There were two stages in the award process; the first was intended to verify the financial soundness and organisational reliability of the shipyards, and the second involved the presentation of the technical and financial bids, in which Azimut/Benetti prevailed, thanks to its its proven technology skills honed over more than 140 years of experience.

For such an exceptional order, consisting of an entirely custom-built boat, Azimut/Benetti worked with Verme Yacht Design consultants for the general structure and the hull shape.

The yacht will be built at the Livorno shipyard of the group and delivered on December 2018. A special team was assigned to the project, coordinated by Manager Fortunato Di Marco. The team also includes a group of Japanese engineers.

The yacht can reach a maximum 25-knots speed, has three decks; inside, a conference table seating 35, an interpreter booth as well as a Japanese style reception room.

A water-jet propulsion system will be installed, it will allow the ship to keep its draught below 1.25 meters and be able to navigate the shallow waters in Tokyo Bay.

Benetti CEO Vincenzo Poerio said to Yachting Art Magazine: “We have won an extremely difficult tender operation in a country where the impeccable quality of products and services is a philosophy of life. The customer was extremely selective in both the pre-selection and award stages. The fact that we have beaten the major shipyards we were competing against is a further demonstration of our organisational reliability, financial soundness, construction experience and technological innovation capabilities, of which I cannot help but be very proud”.