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Kaohsiung firm makes first steel hulled megayacht

Jade Yachts Shipbuilding Corp is to deliver the first made-in-Taiwan steel super yacht, a technology breakthrough and milestone in the nation's shipbuilding sector.

"We hope to take the shipbuilding industry in Taiwan to a higher level in terms of quantity and quality," Jade Yachts chairman Han Pi-hsiang (韓碧祥) said while scrutinizing the yacht Bandido during its first sea trial in Kaohsiung Harbor last Friday.

Han is also the chairman of Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Co, the parent company of Jade Yachts and the nation's largest private shipbuilder.

With a glossy mirror finish that reflects waves under the sun, Bandido is the first yacht with a steel and aluminum hull ever made by a Taiwanese company.

When the 86-foot beauty sailed out of the shipyard for the first time, the crew could not help cheering the hard-won result of 12 months of hard work that helped turn a new page in Taiwan's shipbuilding history.

"When we undertook the project, many said that it was `mission impossible,'" said Luke Huang (黃明賞), an assistant to the chairman and the project manager of the Bandido.

"Now we've proven that we can make it," he said.

The super yacht was built for Drettmann GmbH, a Germany-based boat agent, for delivery on Saturday.

The Bandido prototype will be showcased at the 38th International Boat Show in Dusseldorf, Germany, from Jan. 20 to Jan. 28.

The annual week-long show at the Dusseldorf fairgrounds is the world's largest boat exhibition and attracts hundreds of exhibitors from 55 countries and several hundred thousand visitors.

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Feature: Jade Yachts leads the nation's shift to upscale market for steel super yachts

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