[7][8] The challenge was not inconsequential – at the time, being able to reach 25 knots with a large yacht was considered a feat of engineering, and the thought of doubling that was, for most, inconceivable.

[8][9] Octopussy was refitted and lengthened by another company years later and, due to the weight the works added, she fell out of the rankings of the world's fastest yachts.

[13] Heesen expanded in 2003, the same year it launched its 3700 and 4400 yacht series which marked one of the earliest examples of superyacht building on a shared hull and engineering platform.

[8] Heesen Yachts' second largest project to date, a 70-metre (230 ft) aluminium Fast Displacement superyacht, was delivered in the spring of 2016.

[18] Named Galactica Super Nova, she was designed in collaboration with Espen Oeino and has a top speed of 30 knots.

In November 2019 Heesen also announced a new collaboration with the British studio Winch Design for a range of innovative FDHF explorer yachts named Xventure.

[19] Also in 2019 Heesen confirmed the sale of a 59-metre (194 ft) custom yacht that features the yard's most powerful propulsion package to date – four waterjets providing a combined 22,000 horsepower.

Responding to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Heesen was quick to implement a raft of new working practices in order not only to meet local and national government guidelines but also to protect its workforce.

The yard was also quick to develop alternative methods of promotion and communication with clients, including virtual tours, online press briefings, Zoom happy hours, and a talk show called YachtTalk by Heesen.

At the end of April 2021 the hull of the 67-metre Project Sparta was turned right way up, ready to begin the next phase of construction with her engineering fit-out.

With exterior and interior design by renowned UK studio Winch Design, Project Sparta combines the sleek lines of a raised pilothouse and reverse sheer with obvious luxury features, including a 6.5-metre infinity pool aft, and a huge 1,200 gross tons of internal volume.

[23] The yacht presented the Heesen design and engineering teams with several challenges, including installing a launching ramp for the Boston Whaler tender kept in the aft garage, and being the first yacht in the world to sport a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system on MTU’s V12 engines.

The project also features Rolls-Royce's Promas system in which the rudder and propeller are integrated into a single unit, which improves hydrodynamic efficiency.

The Wolfson Unit test tank facility compared the FDHF hull to other round bilge hull forms between a cruising speed of 15 knots and almost planing speeds 44 knots, stating that ‘…the design is currently ranked as the most efficient in the Wolfson Unit's database’.

More recent Heesen innovations include the 2017-delivered superyacht Home, a 50-metre (164 ft) yacht that combines both the FDHF hull and an advanced hybrid propulsion system for the first time.

Fitted with two 127 kW DC electric shaft motors alongside twin conventional diesel engines, she has registered a fuel consumption of just 45 litres per hour in hybrid mode at 9 knots.

[29] Heesen Yachts has also collaborated with Van Oossanen on the implementation of the naval architect's Hull Vane system, a stern-mounted, underwater fixed foil that aims to improve both fuel saving and seakeeping.

These include the patented Backbone used to add stiffness to the lightweight aluminium construction, and the use of the Rolls-Royce Promas system that integrates propeller and rudder into a single unit.

With 500 permanent employees on its payroll and with 1,000 staff (including subcontractors and agency workers) in the yard on a typical day, Heesen is one of the top five employers in the city and municipality of Oss in southeastern Holland.

The company’s 2020 revenue of €200 million was the highest in Heesen’s history to date (as of June 2021), and most of this is passed back into the local community and regional and national economies due to most elements of the yachts constructed being produced in-house or sourced in The Netherlands.

Economic flow-through also includes extensive use of local services, from hotels and longer term accommodations for owners, their representatives, yacht crews and the international media, to caterers, musicians and other local tradespeople for elements such as launch and dedication parties which can often comprise guest lists well into the hundreds.

One of the company's yachts, the Galactica Star, was found to have been bought[32] in 2013 by the Nigerian oil magnate Kola Aluko.

[37] As a result, important parts that Heesen required to build its yachts, which were sourced from UK-based companies, could no longer be supplied.

At the time of the verdict, however, insufficient information was available to the court to force the notary to cooperate, so Heesen’s request was denied.

Shortly thereafter, on 18 May 2022, the notary decided that there was sufficient basis to transfer the ownership of the shipyard to an independent Dutch foundation.