50 JUNE–JULY 2019 | International Boat Industry ibinews.com
Markets & Regions
REPORT | SUPERYACHT SECTOR – REFIT
Another large superyacht builder,
Abeking & Rasmussen, is another leading
company in the refit market with its
facilities including lifts up to 2,000 tonnes
and a shed of 120m. Other German yacht-
builders active in refit include Bremen-based
Drettmann Yachts, Kaiserwerft in Rostock,
Kusch Yachts, Lloydwerft in Bremerhaven,
and Nobiskrug in Rendsburg. The latter’s
facilities include drydocks up to 426m.
Lloydwerft, which has built large yachts
in the past such as the 115m Luna, has more
recently expanded its yacht refit activity
following its takeover by the Genting
Hong Kong group, Asia’s largest cruise ship
operator and the owner of Wider Yachts.
Genting is also a major shareholder in the
Grand Banks group.NETHERLANDS
There has been a major expansion of
refit work in the Netherlands, especially
by the main superyacht builders, with
new facilities recently being opened or
acquired. Nearly 90% of refit work in the
Netherlands, according to the Superyacht
Group research, is between 30m-75m with
the remainder up to 120m.
Oceanco recently acquired two
large halls formerly owned by Heerema
Fabrication, a builder of offshore
constructions located in the port of
Rotterdam. The two halls, each 204m
long x 50m wide and 36m and 43m high
respectively, will be used by Oceanco
for both new-build and refit work. The
latter will be on Oceanco-built yachts.
The company had been able to construct
superyachts up to 140m, so this new
acquisition will considerably boost its
capacity.
Feadship has always included refits as
an integral part of its branding and this has
resulted in it being the largest superyacht
refit business in the Netherlands. The
company recently opened its fourth
shipyard to add to the considerable
facilities. The other three already provide
covering not only for new builds, but also
refit.
The new yard is located in the port of
Amsterdam and was developed over a two-
year period to boost Feadship’s capacity to
handle larger yachts requiring deeper water.
Also setting up in Amsterdam in recent
weeks is superyacht-builder Royal Huisman,
which manages its refit activities through
its Huisfit division. The new Amsterdam
facility formerly belonged to HollandJachtbouw. This facility was taken on from
ownership by the port and will be used both
for new builds and refits. Royal Huisman
CEO Jan Timmerman commented at the
opening: “In extending our facilities in
the Amsterdam region, we will be able to
properly meet the growing demand among
current and new customers. This second
shipyard will, over a longer period of time,
serve as an excellent addition to our existing
site in Vollenhove both for new builds and
refits.”
Amels, the superyacht new-build and
refit arm of the Damen Shipyards Group,
is also very active in the refit market and
with its two shipyards in Vlissingen, offers
considerable capacity for both very large
superyacht new builds and refits. Amels
counts among the top superyacht refitters
in the Netherlands. Its facilities include the
main Vlissingen shipyard, which rates as the
largest Dutch yacht-building and refit yard
by volume.
The main yard is complemented by
the Vlissingen East facility, a former naval
shipyard that remains largely a commercial
and naval yard, but is increasingly carrying
out superyacht work. Its facilities include
a 210m (690ft) build hall able to be used
for both new-build outfits and refits,
and a 215m (706ft) covered dock which
can accommodate the world’s largest
superyachts.
Another important yard is Balk Shipyard,
located in Urk, which handles yachts up
to 65m and a refit volume similar to that
of Amels, making it one of the top Dutch
superyacht refitters.
Other Dutch superyacht builders
undertaking refit work include Hakvoort
Shipyard, ICON Yachts and ICON Refits,
Jongert, Moonen and Mulder Shipyard.
Of these companies, Hakvoort can handle
yachts up to 63m, Jongert up to 60m, and
Moonen and Mulder, up to 50m.
At ICON Yachts, the rise in the volume
of refit work it secured has been the trigger
for its shareholders to proceed with a major
expansion plan. This included building
a new floating shed in order to welcome
more and bigger projects. The new shed has
almost doubled capacity. It is 130m long x
30m wide with 28m of mast clearance, and
was built in the latter half of 2018.
2018 was a particularly busy year for refit
projects, including the 82m Secret (Abeking
& Rasmussen), the 67m Global (Lürssen),
the 62m Virginian (Feadship) and other
confidential projects.UK
The best-known superyacht refit company
in the UK is Pendennis Shipyard. While
also being a new-build yard, Pendennis
is primarily involved with refit work of
superyachts from 30m-100m. In 2017 it
handled a record 11 refit projects, resulting in
record company turnover.
In October last year, Pendennis
announced an expansion of its
Mediterranean operations with the
development of a new refit facility at
Vilanova Grand Marina – Barcelona. This
new centre will add to Pendennis’s base in
Palma. The Vilanova facility will be equipped
with a 640-tonne travel lift and there
are available berths for superyachts from
25m-120m.
The UK superyacht refit sector
experienced the collapse of two of its players- namely, Burgess Marine and Solent Refit.
Most of the assets of Burgess were acquired
by Southampton Marine Services (SMS),
which has been active in the superyacht refit
market for a number of years. It recently
teamed up with Hythe Shipyard, owned by
Fairline Yachts, to offer a repair and refit
service package covering the Solent area of
the UK and very relevant to superyachts and
small boats.
The Solent area is the main area in the
UK where refit work is undertaken. Other
companies in this area are Southampton
Yacht Services, part of the Oyster Yachts
business, Endeavour Quay Ltd and Hamble
Yacht Services. These three companies can
respectively handle yachts up to 42m, 38m
and 30m for repair or refit work.
In the southwest of the UK, yacht services
business Yacht Projects has linked up with
the Penzance dry dock for securing refit
contracts for yachts up to 75m.
BALTIC REGION
In the Baltic Sea region, companies in
Finland, Poland and Sweden are active in su-
peryacht refit work. Baltic Yachts, based at Ja-
kobstad in Finland, has the capacity to work
on refit projects on yachts up to 80m. In
Gdansk in Poland, Conrad SA performs refits
alongside its new-build operations and is able
cope with superyachts up to 60m. In Sweden,
superyachts up to 40m can be worked on by
Swede Ship Marine AB in Fagerfjail.WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN
FRANCE
The French superyacht refit sector is one of
the biggest globally and has a raft of well-