THE UK’S MARINAS AND SHIPYARDS ARE GROWING IN POPULARITY. COMPANIES ARE INVESTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND ARE OFFERING WORLD CLASS FACILITIES AND WORKMANSHIP
As stunning feats of engineering, superyachts will always need to head ashore at some stage whether that is for a refit, scheduled maintenance or Class work. By the end of this month, the refit season will be warming up nicely, the bosses will be complaining about the price of everything and the crew will be looking forward to a well earned rest, some time ashore and then the business of refit will start.
With the growth of the refit sector in the UK, owners, captains, crew and management companies will benefit not only from state of the art facilities but also from the huge pool of trusted, capable and professional employees within the British marine industry. Great Britain offers extraordinary capabilities in the superyacht sector, from the creation and refit of some of the world’s leading luxury yachts and innovative development and support of high quality equipment, through to key services that owners and captains can trust.
Great Britain’s impressive superyacht capability is advocated by Superyacht UK, which in itself, draws upon the resources of the British Marine trade organisation, of which it is a part. Just look at the numbers. In 2018, superyacht industry annual turnover in Great Britain topped 700 million euros during its sixth year of consecutive growth, a dramatic increase of close on 9% on figures for 2017. The findings show this growth to be heavily driven by the manufacturing and refit sector, which enjoyed a 15.2% rise in revenue.
Chaired by Jeff Houlgrave of Marina Projects Ltd., the Superyacht UK committee ensures that the services delivered are relevant and meet the aim of the association which is to achieve greater co-ordination and professional support for the UK Superyacht sector and grow its global market share. Jeff says, “Superyacht UK is a unique membership only association. Our mission is to represent the interests of the UK Superyacht industry both at home and internationally. Our members cover the diversity of the UK industry from leading naval architects to award-winning manufacturers of yachts and equipment and the full span of supporting services. All our members draw on Great Britain’s rich heritage as seafaring pioneers and spearhead truly world-class products and services. As part of British Marine, Superyacht UK champions UK innovation, excellence and heritage. We symbolise a badge of excellence within the international maritime community.”
