30 AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2019 | International Boat Industry ibinews.com
Markets & Regions
EUROPE | ROUND-UP
Yacht builders are finding life tough
D
utch marine firms grew
revenues by 4.8% in 2018, helped
along by a long, warm summer.
According to national watersports
association HISWA, two-thirds of its
member companies expect 2019 to be
at least as good as last year and the
remainder expect it to be better.
However, HISWA’s Stijn Boode told IBI
there were big variations in performance
across different segments. Boat rental
companies benefited most from the good
weather, with turnover up by around 10%,
and sales of new boats climbed by roughly
7%. But marinas, yacht-builders and yacht
service companies all reported another
year of declining sales, while boat dealers
and marine retailers experienced marginal
improvements.
On the plus side, occupancy rates
at marinas are stabilising. “After years
of shrinking, the rate is now steady at
around 86%,” says Boode. “The yacht
builders and importers indicate that sales
are picking up too and there’s a lot of
innovation. Used boats are selling faster
and prices are stable. Yacht brokers and
experts within the industry are positive
about the future, but they are keen to
point out that good maintenance is
increasingly important. There is sufficient
supply but moderately maintained vessels
are difficult to sell.”
On the domestic market, demand is
mostly for open boats, such as tenders, or
boats with small cabins. The large cabin
yachts are predominantly for export and
are mainly for buyers in neighbouring
countries – Germany, Belgium, the UK
and Switzerland, but other European
countries too. “These exports are
extremely important for boatbuilders,”
says Boode.
Exports in the superyachts segment
are also performing well. Having seen its
market share value of global superyacht
deliveries rise to 30% in 2017, the year
2018 saw further proof of the strength
of the Dutch superyacht industry.
Delivering over €1.5bn worth of 30m-plus
yachts to owners around the world, the
specialist yards in the Netherlands also
have a further 60 superyachts in various
stages of construction.
Late last year, the Port of Amsterdam
and Dutch superyacht builders pledged
to jointly make the Dutch capital aREAL GDP GROWTH (2018) 2.6%
REAL GDP GROWTH (2019 est) 1.6%
NUMBER OF ADULTS 13.3 MILLION
NUMBER $ MILLIONAIRES 477,000
BOAT PARK 500,000
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
(Change in index points Jun/Jul) +0.1%
NEW CAR SALES
(Change Jan-Jun ‘18/19) -10.5%NETHERLANDS
Complete Climate Solutions: Heating, Cooling & Roofs
Overall the Dutch market has seen steady growth, but there have been winners and loserssuperyacht destination. Under the plan,
the port will provide space for Dutch
builders and suppliers needing more
room for new-build, refit and repair
projects.
“HISWA Holland Yachting Group
and the Port of Amsterdam are now
working hard on the logical next step – a
dedicated Northern European Superyacht
Route for owners looking to move on
from the traditional cruising areas,”
Boode explains. “The city of Hamburg has
just signed up to join Amsterdam in this
new initiative and more harbour cities in
Northern Europe are expected to join the
movement for change soon.”
The only real hindrance to growth in
the Netherlands, it seems, is a shortage of
trained staff. “Skilled workers are hard to
find and the lack of well-trained technical
staff makes it difficult to service or deliver
new yachts on time,” says Boode, adding
that Brexit further complicates matters.
“It’s led to lots of precautionary measures
and a good deal of uncertainty for Dutch
companies importing and exporting boats,
supplies and other goods from the UK.” n