During a visit to the Cheoy Lee yard in southern China last
November,
ShowBoats International was fortunate to be the first to go
aboard the 45-meter (148-foot) explorer vessel Marco Polo as workers
added the finishing touches before the yacht’s delivery to her owner, Roland
Sturm, director and founder of Maritime Concept and Construction Hong Kong Ltd.
(MCC). The stylish yacht was moored alongside a rugged Z-Tech 6000 ocean-going
tug, which provided a clear indication of Cheoy Lee’s core business. Although
the contrast between the green-hulled superyacht and the bright orange workboat
was striking, it was also enlightening because the yard’s century-old commercial
experience proved invaluable during the build process. The two vessels have more
in common than you might expect at first glance because Marco Polo,
unlike many modern explorer yachts, represents a true blend of motor yacht and
merchant ship in both concept and construction.
 Photograph by Kristina Strobel. (Click image to enlarge)
"This was a pioneering
project in many respects, but two points deserve particular attention," says the
yacht’s designer, Ron Holland. "First, the finished product has more than
fulfilled the owner’s goal of creating a European-quality yacht in China.
Marco Polo is a serious market contender on the basis of build standards,
as well as price and delivery [time]. Second, sea trials have proven the value
of the serious design and engineering effort invested in producing a truly
efficient, reliable and long-range explorer yacht."
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As far as the first point is concerned, Cheoy Lee is no
stranger to superyachts. In 1977 the company built the 130-foot motor sailer
Shango II, then the largest GRP yacht in the world, and in 2004 it
launched the Frank Mulder-designed 172-foot SeaShaw. I was impressed with
the company’s facilities, which include its own metal cutting and bending shed,
a propeller tuning plant, a full-size lofting shop and the latest CNC five- and
eight-axis milling machines. Cheoy Lee is able to build to any class in steel,
aluminum or fiberglass. Marco Polo has a steel hull and composite
superstructure and fulfills both Lloyd’s certification and MCA requirements for
unrestricted commercial operation. After less than two years in
construction, despite some late changes to the interior design, company
director Martin Lo reckons that building in China meant a cost savings to the
owner of 20 percent or more.
Top and Middle: Bold use of Makassar ebony is the yacht’s
interior leitmotif as seen here in the lounge-dining room and bar. Bottom: The
yacht’s namesake. Photography by Neil Rabinowitz. (Click images to enlarge)
In terms of long-range performance, Marco Polo lives up
to her explorer vocation. Like her tugboat neighbor, the yacht features
Caterpillar and Schottel drive units, combining the reliability and savings of
commercial shipbuilding with the fascination and freedom of yachting. "A lot of thought went into the efficiency of the propeller,"
says Holland, "and both single- and twin-screw arrangements have been
optimized for this design." For Marco Polo, the first hull in a planned series, a
single 1,700-kW Caterpillar engine and controllable pitch propeller was adopted
because it offered at least a 30 percent fuel savings over conventional
twin-screw systems. The maximum speed is 14.5 knots with a remarkable 6,000-nm
range at 10.5 knots. But what happens if the main engine breaks down in some
far-flung corner of the globe? Enter the Schottel vectoring bow thruster, which
is powered by its own Cat C7 engine and housed in a separate forward
compartment. The thruster can provide a "get home" speed of five to six knots if
the main is disabled by fire or flooding in the engine room. Cheoy Lee’s experience with commercial ships has shown that the
Schottel Pump-Jet, combined with a stern thruster, provides better precision
maneuverability than twin-screw systems. The single, large-diameter prop, chosen
for its all-around operating efficiency, is in line with current shipbuilding
practices. Taking into consideration the yacht’s remote and possibly poorly
charted destinations, the propeller and twin rudders are protected by a deep
keel and structural skegs in case of grounding. The configuration also offers
better control at slow speeds or when running downwind in storm
conditions.
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