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The 68m Abeking & Rasmussen superyacht Soaring was delivered to her owner after the sea trials. Launched in January, the custom-built motor yacht returned to the German shipyard in Lemwerder for a handover, having left the yard in March to undergo sea trials in the North Sea. Due to the current circumstances, the delivery celebration was held on a "far smaller scale" than first planned.The shipyard faced unprecedented challenges in the final phase of delivery due to the coronavirus crisis. The shipyard itself has taken extensive measures to protect everyone working at the shipyard.Work plans were adjusted and overlap in individual rooms was largely excluded. Protective masks were also made available for work onboard. In addition, numerous opportunities for working in the home office were created.Named after the soar of an eagle, the elegant exterior and modern interiors of the Soaring are the design work of the German studio Focus Yacht Design. They can accommodate up to 12 guests in six cabins. The upper deck of Soaring has a master suite with a private owner's aft deck and library. The remaining 5 guest yacht cabins are located on the main deck and served by a team of 17 people. Soaring's sundeck meanwhile plays host to a bar and Jacuzzi while a beach club, gym, steam room and swim platform can be found on the lower deck. Power will come from two 2000hp MTU 12V4000 diesel engines.

Gulf Craft's production is continued at both its facilities in the UAE and the Maldives.Shipyard comments that it is taking all of the precautionary measures necessary in terms of physical distancing and hygiene requirements to ensure the safety of employees, visitors and contractors such as disinfection, tests and daily health checks. Mostly, the majority of administrative staff are working from home.Monaco Marine announced the temporary closure of their shipyards since March 19, 2020. This includes the shutdown of certain subcontractors and suppliers and closure of ports. In spite of this, the management teams will remain operational to answer clients’ concerns.

On Friday 3 April, President Rodrigo Duerte issued the order to convert Philippine presidential yacht into a hospital ship. The Philippine Navy announced that the presidential yacht BRP Ang Pangulo will be used for monitoring those who are infected with COVID-19. The operation will be run by the Philippine Navy, whose crew will remain aboard the vessel. The BRP Ang Pangulo can accommodate up to 28 patients and five medical personnel and temporary compartments will be set up to separate patients at least three metres from each other. RPS Lapu-Lapu (PY-77) was built in Japan as part of that country’s war reparations to the Philippines. At the initiative of President Carlos P. Garcia, Filipino naval engineers specifically designed the vessel for use as a presidential yacht. The ship was commissioned into the Philippine Navy on March 7, 1959, as its flagship, a status it held until December 1961.President Diosdado Macapagal in the following year ordered its conversion to a naval troop transport. Later President Ferdinand E. Marcos restored its use as the presidential yacht.Over its 50-year life, the vessel, operated by Naval Taskforce “Sealion”, continues at the President’s instruction to carry out relief and medical missions all over the islands, aid in emergency search and rescue efforts, perform naval functions, promote tourism, culture and local products, as well as serve the presidency and the government.

German design studio Beiderbeck Designs relieved the 65-meter explorer superyacht concept.The design studio was founded in the 1990s by its eponym Jörg Beiderbeck. In 2010 Immo Lüdeling and Tim Ulrich took over the studio as owner and the team now includes 8 designers, interior designers and engineers.The five-deck explorer concept is fully SOLAS certified and features a diesel-electric propulsion system. Key features include “outstanding sea-going, stability and manoeuvring characteristics.”Accommodation onboard has the owner's deck (the master cabin with a large saloon and bathroom), two lounges and a private terrace, six double guest cabins, a saloon large enough to accommodate 12 people and an alfresco lounge area also four single cabins and two twins on the main deck, gym, spa, galley and pantry. Crew accommodation comprises nine twin cabins for a staff of 18. The 65m explorer has a helipad and hangar, car garage and storage for three tenders.Other technical details include a 14-metre beam, draught of 4.2 metres and a top speed of 12.8 knots.

27m LeVen debuted at the 2019 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and was awarded the International Superyacht Society’s Innovation in Technology Award. She is currently a finalist for four Boat International Design & Innovation Awards, including Best New Series.LeVen’s shallow draft, comfortable ride and seaworthiness are by virtue of groundbreaking techs such as the Voith Linear Jet propulsion system and Vripack’s patented Slide Hull design.Vripack invited for the naval architecture ended up taking over the entire design, inside and out. Dutch company Van der Valk was chosen to build the all-aluminium yacht. YachtCreators, working with Silva pulled the concept together, creating a whole new brand – LeVen.The key part of the plan was to make a “beachfront home experience”. The aft main deck offers plenty of sun and seating and has access to the bathing platform.A long flybridge overhang shelters the dining area. Hovering at an immense height over the deck, it gives the space a superyacht.Inside, oversized windows offering a true 360-degree view provide that all-important connection with the water. Forward, instead of a helm station, is the open galley. Wide glass doors connect the interior and exterior. In tune with the yacht’s intended cruising grounds, the interior decor has a casually elegant beach feel. The natural palette relies on grey- washed oak that has a light sandy tone, contrasted with brushed metal in a dark bronze.By the words of Cardenas “The idea was to tackle the five senses – sight, sound, taste, smell, touch. Everything that you see should connect with the water, everything your hand touches should feel good.”The electric system runs through the batteries. All systems are powered from a massive lithium battery bank offering stable, constant and clean power. Comfort underway is helped by Vulkan thrust-bearings, engines can move independently.