The arrival of Walmart billionaire heiress Nancy Walton Laurie’s support vessel Kalm in Marbella’s Puerto Banús in Spain turned into an attraction of its own when the 67-meter (about 220 feet) giant had to reverse its way out of the marina. Too large to simply turn around within the harbor, the steel-clad vessel slowly backed through the marina’s narrow entrance, briefly occupying the only navigable channel and forcing other boats to wait until it had safely cleared the passage.
As seen in an Instagram video, the maneuver may have looked dramatic to onlookers lining the waterfront with smartphones, but it was less about spectacle than skilled seamanship. Reversing a vessel of Kalm’s size demands exceptional precision, as steering becomes more challenging when moving astern and the yacht’s towering superstructure, helideck, and crane catch crosswinds with ease. Equipped with powerful thrusters and twin propellers, however, the Damen-built vessel is designed for exactly this kind of low-speed maneuvering, allowing its crew to guide it safely through confined spaces.
The $30 million support vessel behind a $300 million superyacht
Unlike conventional luxury yachts, Kalm was never intended to be the star of the show. Built by Damen in 2014 as part of the Dutch shipbuilder’s Yacht Support 6711 series, the vessel serves as the operational backbone for Laurie’s 110-meter (roughly 360 feet) megayacht Kaos, reportedly worth around $300 million.
Think of Kaos as a floating five-star resort and Kalm as the invisible backstage operation that keeps everything running. By housing helicopters, tenders, jet skis, diving equipment, maintenance workshops, spare parts, fuel supplies, and specialized crew aboard Kalm, Kaos remains devoted almost entirely to luxury living.
The support vessel itself is an engineering powerhouse. Measuring 67.15 meters in length with a steel hull and steel-and-aluminum superstructure, Kalm is powered by four MTU diesel engines producing roughly 3,000 horsepower each. It can reach speeds of around 22 knots while offering an impressive long-range cruising capability of up to 8,700 nautical miles at economical speeds.
Its equipment is what truly sets it apart. A certified helideck accommodates helicopters weighing up to 5,000 kilograms, complete with refueling capability and protected storage. A heavy-duty crane launches and retrieves tenders, vehicles, and even submersibles, while an onboard dive center features a certified decompression chamber for serious underwater expeditions. The vessel also carries a medical facility capable of handling emergencies far from shore, making it as much an expedition platform as a support ship.
Kalm has had an interesting journey before joining Laurie’s fleet. Delivered as Dapple, it originally supported Valve co-founder Gabe Newell’s exploration yacht Rocinante before being acquired by Mark Zuckerberg, who renamed it Wingman to accompany his Feadship superyacht Launchpad during voyages across French Polynesia, the Arctic, and the Mediterranean. Laurie purchased the vessel in 2025, renaming it Kalm after replacing it in Zuckerberg’s fleet with a larger support ship.
Kalm’s role only makes sense when viewed alongside Kaos, one of the world’s largest privately owned superyachts. At 110.1 meters, the Oceanco-built flagship accommodates up to 31 guests across lavish suites while offering amenities that rival luxury resorts, including a beach club, cinema, spa, gym, swimming pool, beauty salon, and the distinctive London Bar complete with a DJ booth.
The pairing reflects a growing trend among the world’s wealthiest yacht owners. Rather than making their primary yacht even larger, they deploy a dedicated support vessel to handle the practical side of life at sea, leaving the mothership uncluttered and focused entirely on guest comfort.
For Nancy Walton Laurie, whose fortune stems from the Walmart empire founded by her family, the Kaos-Kalm combination represents one of the most capable private yacht operations on the water. And while Kaos usually attracts the headlines, it was Kalm’s careful reverse exit from Puerto Banús that briefly became the marina’s biggest show, demonstrating that sometimes the vessel working behind the scenes can steal the spotlight.
