At the eighth annual World Superyacht Awards held in the city of Istanbul, the world-famous yacht yard Princess Yachts International celebrated their Imperial Princess' enormous success. The Princess 40 is the first 40 meter-sized creation from their M Class.
Held in the magnificent surroundings of the Çiragan Palace Kempinski, the event counted with a distinguished guest list including superyacht owners, their families, friends and luminaries of the superyacht industry. The prized silver Neptune awards were presented by news broadcaster Natasha Kaplinsky.
Princess was announced the winner for the 'Three Deck Semi-Displacement or Planning Motor Yachts' category for the Princess 40, for which they had been selected as a finalist.
Considering this was Princess' first 'superyacht' build, to have been selected as a finalist is an incredible achievement by itself, and yet, to win this prestigious award and the company be recognized as an important shipyard in the industry, is an incredible honor for the Plymouth based yacht builder.
The Managing Director at Princess Yachts International, Chris Gates, said: "We are extremely honored that Imperial Princess has been awarded in her category at the 2013 World Superyacht Awards. The standard of yachts within her class were exemplary and we are delighted to receive this internationally recognized accolade for our Princess 40M. This is a tremendous achievement for all involved."
The Princess 40M was built at the yards' historic South Yard in Plymouth and counts with cutting-edge technology combined with superb performance, and the ultimate in on-board opulence. Her capacity (gross registered tonnage) is 395 tons, and she's also equipped with twin diesel engines packing some 7,000 horsepower, making her capable of travelling at a maximum speed of 23 knots.
Additionally, the 40M can boast one of the largest hulls in the world, which was constructed using high-tech resin-infusion technology, for optimum strength, quality and weight.
Princess yachts will continue to invest in their South Yard site, while dedicating to the production of yachts 100ft plus, and their M Class product range with a new launch scheduled for 2014.
The shipyard has also been a major influence the local community: In 2011 Princess were awarded a £4.6m Government Regional Growth Fund (RGF) to back a major investment to turn South Yard into a world leading boat building facility. The investment has already created 290 jobs and helped safeguard a further 400.
The Princess 40M has also recently been awarded at the 9th annual Asia Boating Awards for 'Best Production Motor Yacht (24m to 40m)' and is a finalist for three more awards at this year's ShowBoat Design Awards.
