ibinews.com International Boat Industry | JUNE–JULY 2019 55
55m. There will also be a range of crew
facilities.
Other companies performing refit and
repair work on Italy’s Adriatic coast include
Cantiere Navale Raineri Srl in Bari, Cantieri
Navali San Rocco in Trieste, Cantieri Navali
Chioggia in Chioggia, Dominator in Fano,
and Rimini Service Srl and Timone Yachts in
Trieste and Senigallia.
MONTENEGRO
In Montenegro, a new yacht repair and refit
facility is set to become operational in Q1,
- Located at Bijela, just across Boka
Bay from the Porto Montenegro marina,
this former commercial repair yard is being
redeveloped into a dedicated superyacht
facility through a 50:50 partnership by
Adriatic Marinas, the owner of Porto
Montenegro, and the Dutch Damen
Shipyards Group which owns Amels. This
is a €20m project and the cost of cleaning
up the former commercial shipyard was
funded by the Montenegrin government.
Recruitment of an anticipated eventual
workforce of 450 has recently commenced.
The new yard, which will operate under a
long-term concession from the government,
will offer facilities for superyachts up to
100m or more, including a drydock. There
will be space to work on more than a dozen
yachts at one time and within five years the
management foresees it handling around
100 superyachts a year. The new facility will
be called Montenegro Yacht Service (MYS).
TURKEY
As one of the world’s leading superyacht-
building nations and a major shipbuilding
country, it is not surprising that Turkey
is also a leader in the superyacht refit and
repair area. Istanbul, Antalya and Bodrum
are key centres for this activity.
Turkish yacht-builders participating
in this type of work are Turquoise Yachts,
Barka Shipyard Dunya Yachts, the Ned
Ship Group, Perini Navi, RMK Marine and
Sarp Yachts. A full refit service is offered
by these companies catering for all sizes of
superyachts from 30m to over 100m.MIDDLE EAST
With the Middle East being a rising yachting
destination, especially the UAE with Dubai
and Abu Dhabi, the demand for repairs
and refits is increasing. Dubai, with its Al
Jaddaf and Dubai Maritime City facilities,
hosts a number of companies providing
refit and repair services for larger yachts and
superyachts.
Gulf Craft, as the largest yacht builder
in the region, undertakes some work in the
refit and repair areas alongside its extensive
new-build operations. Legacy Yachts is
another based in Dubai which offers services
on yachts up to 100m.
There are plans for Drydocks World
and its links with P&O Marinas and P&O
Maritime Services to establish a superyacht
refit facility in Dubai. Some work on
superyachts is already performed and with
marina capacity for larger superyachts in the
emirate increasing, so the need for a facility
able to handle larger superyachts will be
needed.
In Qatar, NDSQ (Nakilat Damen
Shipyards Qatar) based at Ras Laffan has
actively been carrying out refit work since it
was set up in 2010. It has completed several
refit and repair projects and has a capacity
for vessels up to 170m.
A new superyacht repair and refit facility
was established last year in Bahrain through
a partnership between the locally-based
Suprema Marine Services and Lusben,
the yacht refit arm of the Azimut-Benetti
Group. Suprema Marine Services, which
was previously based in Dubai, has set up
a new facility at Durrat Marina in Bahrain.
This facility will be able to handle yachts up
to around 50m (164ft). Staffed by seasoned
professionals, the facility includes 5,000m^2
of hard stand, a 110-tonne travel lift, and 100
berths.
Lusben is the internationally-recognised
yacht refit and repair business of the Azimut
Benetti Group. It was established in 1956
in Viareggio and can handle yachts from
20m-140m (66ft-460ft).NORTH AMERICA
CANADA
In Canada there are a clutch of superyacht
repair and refit companies in British
Columbia, reflecting the extensive yachting
sector in and around Vancouver. Among
the companies operating in Vancouver or
Richmond, BC, are the Bracewell Marine
Group, Delta Marine Services Seaspan
Vancouver Shipyards and West Bay Sonship
Yacht Builders Ltd. These and other
companies in this area have the capacity to
work on superyachts from 30m-60m.USA
With its vast yachting industry, the USA
has no shortage of shipyards able to handle
refit and repair work on superyachts.
Ft Lauderdale is a key centre with such
facilities as the Lauderdale Marine
Centre. In West Palm Beach, Rybovich is
another leading player able to work with
superyachts up to 100m and provide a full
range of services.
Likewise with Thunderbolt Marine
in Savannah, Saunders Yacht Works in
Alabama, the Ocean Marine Yacht Center
in Portsmouth, Virginia, the Marine Group
Boat Works in San Diego, the Newport
shipyard in Newport, RI, the Front Street
Shipyard in Belfast, ME and Derecktor
Shipyards in Dania Beach, to name a few.
Other well-known names active in this
market are Burger Boat Company, Delta
Marine Industries, Dania Cut Superyacht
Repair, Bay Ship & Yacht Co, Bradford
Marine and Hinckley Yacht Services.
The latter is developing a new
superyacht refit facility at Fort Pierce in
Florida designed as the first in the US to be
able to lift superyachts of 60m or more. This
new facility is based on a 30-year concession
and will see an investment of some US$33m,
which will include the world’s largest travel
lift of 1,500 tonnes.
The new yard will have a depth of 8m
and direct access to the Atlantic Ocean.
An eight-acre apron will provide 1,000ft of
deep-water berthing. The yard is anticipated
to be operational by the autumn of 2020
and include a drydock able to accommodate
superyachts of 4,000 tonnes.
The one US member of the ICOMIA
Superyacht Refit Group is BAE Systems
in Jacksonville. Superyachts are part of
the work mix at this large yard, along
with commercial and naval vessels. The
yard’s facilities include a depth of 12.5m,
a 13,500-tonne capacity floating dock, US refit specialists, the Front Street
Shipyard in Belfast, Maine