Giuseppe Mazza, Sales Manager of Tankoa Yachts, highlights the undeniable importance of the Monaco Yacht Show for both Tankoa and the superyacht industry as a whole. On board the brand-new S501 M/Y Grey, we delve into the captivating world where luxury and elegance adapt with versatility to meet the diverse needs of every owner.
The designer Alberto Mancini introduces the new Tankoa T560 Apache unveiled during the press conference held at Monaco Yacht Show 2023. The T560 is a fully customized superyacht inspired by the design of the 76-meter T760 Apache, retaining its proportions, spacious interiors, and elegant, sleek style.
The boundless beauty of Tankoa’s all-new superyacht T560 Apache
True beauty knows no bounds. This is the case for the all-new model to join the line-up of Italian boutique shipyard Tankoa, who has started construction on a 56-metre full-custom superyacht for a client who also knew no bounds.
Developed by designer Alberto Mancini, the new Tankoa T560 Apache draws its inspiration from Mancini’s 76-metre T760 Apache design that was first unveiled at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2021. It’s no small feat to take the features of a large yacht and translate them into a smaller package, but the Tankoa team and the Mancini studio relished the opportunity.
“The task was to replicate a similar design with similar proportions to the 76-metre version, keeping the yacht sleek and elegant but still offering huge volumes inside with features that are more typically found on yachts larger than 1,000 gross tons,” says Claudio Corvino, Sales and Business Development Manager at Tankoa.
“The tricky part was to maximise internal space with minimal compromises, to create a beach-style home-away-from-home retreat with expansive external spaces and without the formality that is sometimes found on yachts of this size,” Corvino continues. “The result is an incredible yacht with incredible spaces – and with a design that not only meets all the requests of our American clients but which also demonstrates the capability, flexibility and ingenuity of the Tankoa team.”
The inception of the Tankoa T560’s development took place initially at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in 2022 specifically for a young American couple, with active participation from Fraser Yachts USA on both the sale and project development fronts. In particular the broker responsible for the sale is J.D. Crawford from their Fort Lauderdale Office. The sale was successfully finalized in early August 2023 and Fraser Yachts will be also involved on the project management side during the construction.
“In my initial client engagement, we prioritized their unique needs. After exploring market options, we found Tankoa to be the perfect partner for realizing the client’s vision. Tankoa’s deep understanding led to the successful design of a vessel tailored precisely to the client’s requirements”says J.D. Crawford from Fraser USA. “This collaboration highlights my dual role as a sales broker and a discerning buyer’s representative for new builds, reaffirming our commitment to custom solutions.”
Suite heart
Up top, the bridge deck offers captain and crew – and interested guests – an unrivaled view for pilotage. The seamanlike positioning of the main helm also frees up the upper deck for something truly extraordinary – a feature borrowed from the T760 Apache concept but delivered so perfectly that it could have been made for the T560 model. It is here that the owner’s suite takes pride of place, with its forward position not only conferring exceptional panoramic views from the 50-square-metre interior studio apartment, but also allowing for a huge private terrace complete with 5.5-metre flying pool and an alfresco lounge area with a firepit at its centre.
Further aft, an inviting upper saloon leads out to a large upper aft terrace complete with alfresco dining for 12, while one deck down the communal guest areas are kept beach-chic informal with a comfortable aft saloon and a convertible forward dining area. The layout also allows for five guest suites all located forward at main deck level – a rare feature for a yacht of this size – including a full-beam VIP forward and four sumptuous twin/double cabins with exceptional sea views.
Practical magic
With guest cabins at main deck level, crew are afforded a generous area for their quarters on the lower deck, while midships area is offered to owner and guests as a wellness centre to port and a gym to starboard with drop-down waterside terrace. The tender garage is located forward at main deck level, behind the mooring deck and under the owner’s terrace, offering space for a 7-metre tender, rescue boat and toys.
If beach chic was the American owners’ desire, that’s certainly what they got with another superb feature carried over from the larger concept – a beach club and waterside aft deck with a 4-metre glass pool and drop-down side balconies that create a vast 90-square-metre play-space. Stylish smoked glass in the transom connects the inner part of the beach club to the exterior, while the main aft deck – connected to the beach club via two aft stairs – serves more as an upper terrace than a separate guest area.
Free flow
It’s the seamless flow of interior to exterior that really marks the T560 Apache, however, and this practical and invitingly informal layout is coupled to seamlessly flowing lines that brilliantly disguise the yacht’s impressive 840GT volume. It speaks to Mancini’s design nous and the strength of the original concept that so many of the key features have transferred from the larger concept to this new yacht.
“The T560 Apache design shifts the key features of the original 76-metre T760 Apache concept into a 56-metre yacht, guided by the requirements of an American client who loved the larger concept but wanted the same features in a shorter hull length,” says Alberto Mancini, founder and principal of AM Yacht Design.
“I and my designers focused particularly on the owner’s upper deck suite, which not only offers an indoor area of 50 square metres but which also couples that to a private bow terrace of 85 square metres that includes an amazing 5.5-metre all-glass pool,” Mancini adds. “It’s a feature that we took directly from the larger Apache concept and managed to deliver in the T560 without compromise. We are incredibly proud of the overall design of the yacht.”
The 49.99-metre motor yacht GREY has been delivered by the Tankoa shipyard in Genoa, Italy, as the latest unit in the yard’s S501 series. The owner signed the new-build contract in July 2021 and appointed TWW Yachts as project managers. GREY has been in private use since her owner took delivery on May 12, 2023.
Despite being part of the Tankoa S501 series, GREY is substantially different from her sister ships and the three-deck layout, devised by exterior designer Francesco Paszkowski, was heavily customised to meet her owners’ needs.
In addition to the standard features that come with the timeless Tankoa S501 series design, the owner added a spectacular outdoor home cinema screen. This high-definition and high-luminosity screen is located in front of the swimming pool lounge on the foredeck. GREY is also fitted throughout with a top-of-the-range sound system designed by the award-winning French/British brand Focal & Naim.
“Our usual flexibility in satisfying customer requests is evident in the customisations made onboard GREY – such as the installation of a swimming pool in the bow, and the fantastic never seen before cinema/sound system. The jet black and whisper grey paint gives a sleek look to GREY,” says Giuseppe Mazza, Tankoa sales and marketing manager.
The owner also gave attention to the design of the exterior decks and the four open lounging and entertainment spaces available. With alfresco living a key element of her design, GREY features a large Jacuzzi on the fly deck alongside seating and lounging areas as well as a pool on the foredeck.
TWW Yachts supported the owner throughout the entire build process from the initial specification reviews to delivery. “We are particularly proud of GREY, and she has been designed and built for the most charming and passionate owners that a yacht broker and project managers can only dream of representing in a new-build project,” says lead broker at TWW Yachts, Jean-Claude Carme.
Giorgio Maria Cassetta worked closely with the owner to create a luxurious and sophisticated interior. Together they created a warm and inviting look and feel, making great use of an array of natural materials, such as rich woods and veined marbles. The interior also benefits from enlarged windows on the main deck, glass bulwarks and fold-out balconies to heighten the all-important indoor-outdoor connection.
“This interior is one of the finest I have ever seen on any yacht of this size,” adds David Westwood, principal partner of TWW Yachts. The six suites onboard GREY – including two customised suites on the main deck – can accommodate up to 12 overnight guests. There is also space for up to nine crew.
The owner opted for the conventional propulsion package offered by Tankoa, which will deliver a top speed of 18 knots if using both the main diesel engines for propulsion and one diesel generator for the hotel load.
Hot on the heels of the launch of the fifth hull in its 50-metre series, and following the successful debut of M/Y Kinda at the Monaco Yacht Show 2022, Tankoa is proud to announce the sale of a second unit in the new Sportiva 55 series designed by Luca Dini due for delivery in 2024.
“The second all-aluminium Sportiva 55 sold in less than a year is for a young European owner with a strong passion for yachting,” says Giuseppe Mazza, Tankoa Sales & Marketing Manager. “With 8 projects under construction for delivery between now and 2025, I am proud to see that the commercial strategy undertaken three years ago is bringing the expected results and we are on the right path to become one of the main players in the superyacht market.”
The new yacht will feature a galley on main deck, a master stateroom with private hot tub also on main deck, five guest suites on the lower deck, a spectacular beach club with swimming pool, a Nemo room and an elevator between the lower and upper decks. The interior design will be provided by the owner’s team.
“Despite all the political and economic uncertainty, 2022 has been a very fruitful time for Tankoa as the market is increasingly aware of what our boutique brand is all about,” says Tankoa President, Eva Orsi. “The super sleek Sportiva 55 was designed by Luca Dini to expand our market offering by integrating all the best features into a 55-metre yacht while remaining under 500 GT and this second sale shows we’ve hit the nail on the head.”
Coming in the wake of the successful 50-metre series by Tankoa Yachts and named after the famous opera house in Venice, the 68-metre FENICE is based on a new naval platform with elegant and streamlined, bold and dynamic exterior styling by Enrico Gobbi of Venice-based Team for Design.
“We understood each other immediately with Enrico and it was a pleasure to develop this project together,” says Giuseppe Mazza, Tankoa Sales and Marketing Manager. “With the T680 we continue to expand the range of Tankoa yachts in order to offer the market an ever-increasing choice of unique projects. Like her namesake, the T680 FENICE is a triumph of poise, rhythm and grace.”
Encouraging guests and owners to bask in the outdoor spaces and revel in the indoor space, the circulation flow aboard the T680 FENICE has been studied to make the transition between the two as seamless and natural as possible for maximum relaxation and conviviality. With aerodynamic lines and curves inspired by automotive and aeronautical design, the overall effect is beauty in motion.
The T680 FENICE epitomizes production at the boutique shipyard based in Genoa, a city with a long and respected history of shipbuilding. More recently, the Tankoa brand has earned a reputation for creating superyachts that exude Italian artistry, creative flair and engineering excellence.
“This new project is the result of our desire to be recognised for who we are: a boutique shipyard able to offer a range of unique yachts designed by the best designers,” adds Eva Orsi, President of Tankoa. “We are proud of this collaboration with Enrico Gobbi that highlights the unmistakable style, quality, beauty and know-how that goes into making our customers’ dreams come true.”
“From the very first moment I started sharing my ideas with Tankoa, I knew I was in the right place with the right people. This is a project characterised by exclusive details that only a ’boutique’ shipyard like Tankoa can make the most of.” says Enrico Gobbi, Team of Design CEO. “I believe that superyacht projects of this size have to be distinctive: born from a blank sheet of paper, developed and built to the highest quality standards which Tankoa has already proven itself able to do.”
The Opening Act
The open-air aft lounge on the main deck is the yacht’s astounding centerpiece. Covering an area of 100 square meters, this multi-level beach club comprises an infinity pool, gym, spa and lounge.
A glass-covered portion of the pool integrated into the centre of the deck leads guests directly to a protected terrace, like an orchestra pit, before entering the beach club proper. Folding balconies on both sides of the hull increase the interior area and connection with the sea and twin staircases link the main deck to the stern platform. The whole beach area is designed to be the perfect playroom and chill-out zone.
Sala Grande
The main salon opens a new scene and a new stage: a a place of sedate comfort and style, the main deck salon is at one with the terrace, and perfect as a reception space with full-height glass windows for panoramic views of the sea. Forward of the main salon are no fewer than two VIP suites and four ensuite guest cabins that all take advantage of the larger windows.
The lower deck is dedicated to the crew accommodation and services, including a pro-spec galley, hospital room and side-loading tender garage.
The Upper Circle
The upper deck provides unique design as the open-aft deck morphs into a circular dining area, which thanks to full-height sliding glass doors can be enclosed or semi-open to the sun and sea breeze. This dining room is linked to the sky lounge that has side balconies that can extend outwards over the sea.
The Royal Box
The master stateroom is an exquisite 90 sqm space of privacy and comfort with floor-to-ceiling windows offering 270-degree panoramic views. With a huge walk-wardorbe and palatial marble lined bathroom, the suite has direct access to a private foredeck with sun loungers and a glass-fronted Jacuzzi. The deck area doubles as a touch-and-go helipad for those grand entrances or dramatic exits.
SPECIFICATIONS
Length overall: 68 m (223 ft)
Beam: 11.20 m (37 ft)
Draft at full load: 3.0 m (11 ft)
GRT approx: 1,400 GT
Displacement Max: approx. 1.200 tons
Diesel propulsion: 2 x 1865 kW at 1.600 rpm – CAT 3516E
Max rated power for Diesel generator: 3 x 200 kWe Northern Lights ekW
Bow thruster: 1 x electric 200 kW
Stabilizer fins: 4 x electrohydraulic fins 3,5 sqm each
Fuel Capacity: 160,000 lt
Max Speed at half load: 16.5 knots
Cruise Speed 15 Knots
Long range speed: 12 Knots
Range at 12 knots: 5,000 n.m.
Hull: Steel
Superstructure: Aluminum