The first Yacht Support 53 leaves the shed in Antalya

Taiwan-born Anthony Hsieh was present as his Yacht Support 53, Bad Company Support, hit the water for the first time, a landmark moment during its construction at Damen Yachting’s facility in Antalya. The first YS 53 (YS 5301) will be a mothership to the American’s well-established Bad Company fleet, which specialises in sports fishing missions and is currently on a world tour.

Bad Company Support will carry a Release 43 sportfisher and a Blackfin 32, the owner’s first game fishing boat, which was purchased more than 30 years ago and has recently been repurchased and refurbished for the current expeditions.

Bad Company Support will be the mothership for sport fishing expeditions

Once delivered this summer, Bad Company Support will tour the Mediterranean for a shakedown trip and then move into the Atlantic Ocean in her first year, followed by the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean the following year. A helicopter on board will provide the owner with easy airport transfers to and from the YS 53.

“We’re very excited about this milestone. This is a lifelong dream starting to become reality. The plans we have with the boat in future years are stunning — she will see the world,” said Hsieh, founder and Chairman of California-based mortgage lender loanDepot.

Anthony Hsieh, owner of Bad Company Support

“No one has ever done what we’re planning to do with the YS 5301, and I think it will set a whole new tier of adventure for future yachts people. We’ll spend all our time on this boat to make the most of all the different luxuries and amenities she has.”

Designed entirely by Damen Yachting, the 175ft, 499GT superyacht was sold to Hsieh in May 2022 and will replace the owner’s current YS 45 (also named Bad Company Support), which was built by Damen Yachting in 2019 and sold to Hsieh in 2021.

Bad Company Support pre-launch

Able to accommodate 6-16 guests and staff, as well as 10 crew plus a captain, the YS 53 was introduced to the market in February 2022 and is part of the next generation of highly flexible, customisable Yacht Support vessels that also include the YS 65 and YS 75.

Bad Company Support features a 15-tonne deck crane and is fully IMO Tier III compliant to reduce harmful emissions by 70 per cent for full-range operations, while her two main engines can deliver speeds of up to 19 knots. YS 5301 develops upon almost 20 Yacht Support vessels built by Damen Yachting over the last decade.

Bad Company Support has an overall length of 53.25m

Jan van Hogerwou, Damen Yachting’s Commercial Executive North America, said: “This is one of the most exciting projects we’ve worked on. Not only is this the first of our new YS 53 range but this is also the first Yacht Support we’ve built that will be used exclusively as part of a sport fishing fleet and programme. Anthony Hsieh’s unique vision and mission are very inspiring.”

www.damenyachting.com