Helicopter operations are particularly crucial for yacht owners exploring the farthest reaches of the planet, and support yachts are able to turn that dream into reality. Certain Arctic regions mandate a strict two-helicopter minimum rule, and the challenge of refueling and storing a helicopter means that “it’s a luxury to have [helicopter operations] on another vessel that’s always ready to go,” says broker Charles Carveles of Edmiston.

Carveles has sold several of the world’s biggest support yachts. Helicopter operations aside, “the support yachts usually run ahead of the main yacht to set up tenders, load gear" or prepare landing sites. "It all leads to a better guest experience and greater safety.”

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If you are the proud owner of a multimillion-dollar megayacht, you might soon find yourself commissioning a second yacht, not out of extravagance but practicality. Shadow vessels, also known as support yachts, travel alongside the main yacht carrying helicopters, specialist crew, medical facilities and anything else that does not fit within the sleek silhouette of the mothership. Yacht buyers use shadow vessels when they don’t want to commission larger yachts and endure the headaches that come with that extra length.

The concept began as something of an afterthought, but it has been gaining traction in recent years. No longer simply garages for overflow, shadow vessels have evolved into comprehensive platforms used for scientific research, treasure hunting and more. “The definition of the yacht support as a mini ecosystem that follows the mothership is quite accurate,” says Enrique Tintoré, product manager of the design & proposal department at Damen Yachting, the Dutch shipyard that dominates the support yacht market. Every support vessel has a unique purpose, but some are more ambitious than others.

Take the Damen Yachting support yacht Gene Chaser as an example. It was on this support yacht that a super-sensitive rapid-result Covid-19 test was born. Dr. Jonathan Rothberg, biotech entrepreneur and owner of the yacht-support duo Gene Machine and Gene Chaser, uses his shadow vessel as a floating laboratory. As well as Covid tests, “the Gene Machine is the reason there’s portable MRI in the world right now,” Rothberg confirms.

According to yachting data platform SuperYacht iQ, 34 support yachts were delivered between 2015 and 2025, compared with just 10 in the decade prior. Before 2019, most of the support yachts in the fleet were former commercial vessels that were converted and given a new lease on life. Now, though, purpose-built supports have seen a sharp uptick in demand. When you take Damen’s commercial branches into consideration (which are responsible for several conversions) the Dutch giant accounts for about a third of all shadow vessels in the fleet.

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