SHADOWCAT Releases "Safe Haven" Support Vessel Concept

Fresh off its win for Baird Maritime’s 2019 Support Vessel of the Year for the innovative Hodor, the driving forces behind its conception, design and build release the next concept vessel in the SHADOWCAT family, Haven. The Haven concept vessel meets the desire of owners and charter customers to continue cruising while still maintaining as safe an environment as possible — a safe haven, so to speak.

SHADOWCAT vessels are uniquely placed to provide the interface and buffer required between shore and the mother vessel. With the support of a SHADOWCAT, the owner’s main yacht can operate inside a bubble, with all connections to the outside world made through the controlled environment of the Haven. To meet this requirement, Haven has been set-up as a testing facility, an isolation or quarantine space and a portal, while still providing exceptional utility as a support vessel.

The Haven concept features a hospital and laboratory onboard, which allows for monitoring of all crew on both the SHADOWCAT and the mother vessel and ensures that only those who have been regularly screened and tested are exposed to one another. All new crew can transfer via the shadow yacht for testing and quarantine prior to joining the main yacht. With its certified helipad and generous lounge, guests transiting to the yacht can also arrive on Haven to undergo testing (and a brief, but luxurious isolation) prior to transfer by tender to the mother vessel.

With the support of Haven, the mother yacht need not have direct contact with shore. All stores and transfers are handled via SHADOWCAT. Goods can now be received from shore, sanitized or repackaged and transferred to the yacht crew once clean. Because of SHADOWCAT’s unique multi-hull design, segregation of goods and crew is simple. 

Haven will operate with two zones:

1. A shore zone, with any potential risk of infection contained in this area, and

2. The yacht side, which is the clean and tested interface with the mother vessel.

Haven will have the latest testing equipment for COVID 19 IgM & IgG antibodies, allowing quick and accurate testing, so quarantine times can be reduced. The shadow will also have thermal cameras placed strategically to serve as an early warning system to identify crew who may be exhibit early signs of infection. Innovative air-conditioning and circulation systems, along with implementation of nanotechnological surfaces, which inhibit or destroy viruses and bacteria further protect the owner’s guests and crew on both vessels. 

Aside from its role as a protective layer to an owner’s yacht, Haven’s unparalleled support capacity cannot be understated. As with all SHADOWCAT, the ship’s revolutionary design supports carrying 40 percent more volume and 60 percent more tonnage, all while being 40 percent more fuel efficient (on average) compared to monohull support vessels of comparable length. Its architecture also allows for up to 70 percent more weight to be safely craned off the sides of the vessel, expanding the owner’s options significantly. Its inherent flexibility and capacity places it in a class of its own, able to carry beach set-up equipment, stores, spares, jet skis, multiple tenders, vehicle storage, a submarine, diving center, decompression chamber and more. Also included is a certified helicopter landing pad and fueling, with some owners opting to add a secure hangar to their design. Innovative uses of the generous deck spaces include hydroponic gardens, research labs and as well as security, aviation or staff offices and cabins. Because all SHADOWCAT vessels are bespoke, the list of possibilities is endless.

The Incat Crowther ocean-going catamaran design is in service in robust weather worldwide and can handle maneuvering in all but the most dangerous conditions. With a strong pedigree and international reputation, Incat Crowther is the industry leader in the naval architecture of high-performance support and expedition catamarans for the superyacht market. 

Astilleros Armon, a Spanish powerhouse of ship construction, with shipyards covering the northern coast of Spain, has unequal experience building high-quality mono and multi-hull vessels with commercial power and performance but with yacht quality attention to detail. 

After the notable launch of Hodor in 2019, and nearing the completion of a second SHADOWCAT vessel (launching late 2020) and with a third scheduled for launch in 2022. The SHADOWCAT family continues developing numerous concepts to meet the needs of the yacht market. With a multi-award winning and nominated flagship lauded in the press as “One of the coolest ocean-going crafts this year” (Maxim) and a vessel that can “almost claim superyacht status on its own” (Robb Report), SHADOWCAT continues to innovate and provide concepts to the Superyacht customers who demand more than one-size-fits all support vessel. With industry guru Robert Smith of YCTS, Ltd. and world-renowned naval architects Incat Crowther, the SHADOWCAT brand burst on to the yacht scene with Astilleros Armon-built Hodor in 2019.