Ananda is a Sanskrit word meaning inner joy. For Heesen’s largest steel superyacht to date, Project Ananda, one could hardly imagine a more fitting name. Much like natural light, the vessel seems to cast an intangible sense of joy and peace across its entire 1,750 GT frame. Its five decks do not merely ooze luxury, they evoke calm, respite, and a feeling of retreat. It would not be far-fetched to call the Dutch shipyard’s 237-footer wellness in motion.
Scheduled for delivery in 2030, the project brings together Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design, Heesen’s design studio, and the yard’s in-house engineering team. With a hybrid propulsion system and a semi-finished layout that allows for flexibility and personalization, the vessel is innately wellness-focused. It carries the same zen atmosphere one expects from an Aman resort, only here it unfolds in the middle of the sea.
But before delving into the yacht’s wellness features, it is worth considering how guests are welcomed aboard. Unlike most superyachts, where visitors are ushered into a formal main salon, privacy takes precedence here. The arrival is as ceremonial as it is thoughtful. Instead of funneling everyone through a central social space, guests board midships and move directly to a glass elevator and then to their staterooms. It is a clever way of easing them in, reviving them, and preserving their social battery before the voyage has even begun.
That same attention to wellbeing carries through to the spa and beach club, which span roughly 100 square meters and include a sauna, steam room, snow shower, ice bath, hyperbaric chamber, massage room, medical treatment room, and bar.
On the main deck, the pool is clad in travertine marble, which continues seamlessly into the teppanyaki area. As for accommodations, the shipyard offers two arrangements for the owners’ deck, both with private alfresco space that can be positioned either forward or aft. Keeping family living and charter potential in mind, the layout also includes a second master suite of comparable size.
Estimated to cost between $150 million and $190 million, the vessel uses a hybrid setup with twin MTU 12V4000 M65L IMO Tier III engines and PTI/PTO gearboxes, enabling silent cruising for up to four hours. With its striking spa, 5,000-nautical-mile range, and 16-knot top speed, Project Ananda feels like proof that Heesen’s own wellness thesis is becoming reality, today’s yacht owners increasingly want spaces where comfort outweighs glamour.
