08 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | July 2014
LARGE YACHT NEWS
First PYC-compliant vessel Equanimity — the world’s first A superyacht designed and built to Pictured left is the 91.5m
be fully Passenger Yacht Code (PYC) compliant, which was delivered by the Dutch builder Oceanco last month. The 2,999gt vessel is registered in the Cayman islands and can accommodate up to 26 guests and 28 crew. Steel hulled, with an aluminium
Five dead in yacht tender accident tender boat sank in adverse F conditions off Malta last year while
Five people died when a yacht’s
returning from an evening meal in a restaurant ashore. An investigation into the incident has concluded that the tender was swamped during the 2nm trip from Xlendi Bay to Dwejra Bay on the western coast of Gozo last May during deteriorating conditions. The Maltese Safety Investigation Unit report estimates that the 4.1m GRP tender had a freeboard of just 0.33m when it was returning to the Belgian-registered yacht El Pirata in winds of between force 4 and force 5, and in a moderate sea of between 1m and 2m. Investigators said the boat had become swamped after being
completely exposed to the north westerly conditions. ‘Although the local weather forecast was accurate and reliable, it was either not monitored carefully, misunderstood and underestimated, or not monitored at all,’ the report notes. Those onboard lacked crucial knowledge of the coast and its potential dangers, it adds. The report makes a series of recommendations to enhance safety awareness among visiting yacht crews — calling for safety notices to be issued to highlight issues including potentially hazardous areas, the quality of VHF and mobile network reception around the coast, the importance of life-saving equipment and basic navigational principles and seamanship practices.
Teak decks in danger? by Michael Howorth
long disappeared from the F modern merchant ship, but it remains The traditional teak deck has
a way of life onboard yachts built for leisure. Now the government of Myanmar is making massive changes to the availability of teak which could curtail the supply of the wood for the decks of superyachts. Myanmar’s forest department is proposing to dramatically reduce the
annual allowable harvest of teak and other hardwoods, seeking to return the forests to the healthy vibrant green woodlands that once covered the country. For the leisure marine industry, the proposed allowance for 2014 is only 20% (80,000 cubic metres) of the historical annual cut, and this includes all grades of teak. Traditionally yacht builders use only the premium grades, and prices will almost certainly rise dramatically as supply dries up.
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superstructure, Equanimity is powered by twin 3,600kW MTU 20V 4000 M73L engines, with a top speed of more than 20 knots. Oceanco CEO Marcel Onkenhout said the builders had worked closely with Lloyd’s Register and the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry to design and develop ‘a magnificent yacht, which will undoubtedly set new standards in the industry’.
Market starts to buzz again US sales boom leads recovery in charters and newbuilds by Michael Howorth
P
The superyacht market is buzzing as sales brokers report the busiest spring buying season since the global financial crisis began in 2008. This positive trend has been spearheaded by the US market, where the number of superyachts sold has increased by 28% over the same period last year. Well-priced yachts are selling, and quickly. And what we see with the American market almost always reflects on the rest of the world, which tends to follow suit. Camper & Nicholsons were at the forefront of these rising levels of activity during the first quarter,
with more sales than any of the other leading brokerage companies — a 9% share of the total market value of yachts sold. Camper & Nicholsons CEO Michael Payne said: ‘Buyers all over the world are meeting the prices of realistic and motivated sellers, and for the first time in quite a while one really can say that potential buyers should get in quickly before prices inevitably rise. ‘The reason is, very simply, that many owners have lost patience and are prepared to accept lower offers, while simultaneously many buyers who have been doing the rounds for a number of years have realised that if they
don’t buy now they will be buying in a rising market.’ The newbuild sector is looking equally positive, with yards reporting 735 yachts in construction for 2014 — a substantial increase compared with the same period in 2013, when just 692 yachts were under construction. Prices seem to be slowly rising as orderbooks fill and delivery dates at the better shipyards get further away. The charter market also looks healthy, and following the recent charter show in Genoa the vibe for the summer season is positive as first-time charter yachts showed what they have to offer to the charter brokers in attendance.
Union gets member’s back pay
who has just taken up an F appointment as yacht operations
Pictured above is James Scott,
manager at Viking Recruitment’s Dover office. Mr Scott has more than 24 years of experience in the superyacht and cruiseship sectors, including time as hotel manager, purser and shore-based personnel manager. He has recently been involved in the development and set-up of hospitality services for a variety of companies. Viking MD Matthew Jaenicke commented: ‘James joining the company is a significant step in our growth plan for the yacht operations department. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge and we are confident that James will benefit the service that we provide to our existing and prospective clients.’
Sunseeker order to be working well for UK-based F Sunseeker, which has announced Celebrity endorsements seem
secured more than €5,500 back F pay for a member who lost his job on a Nautilus International has
Cayman Islands-registered superyacht when the owner agreed to a request from the chief stewardess to have her boyfriend serve onboard. The member had been working on the yacht for just over a month when the master told him the owner had decided to replace him with the chief stewardess’s boyfriend. ‘Although he was unhappy with the way he had been treated, he continued to work up until the three months he had been employed for and then left the vessel to find work elsewhere,’ said Nautilus industrial officer Paul Schroder. ‘He was told he would only be paid his owed wages, but after we intervened and communicated with the crewing agency in Guernsey, we managed to also help the member to receive 14 days’ pay in lieu of notice to bring the total final payment to just over €5,558.33,’ he added. ‘The member has received the outstanding monies owed and is pleased with the service received from Nautilus,’ Mr Schroder said. ‘This is another case to show the value of Nautilus membership for seafarers in the superyacht sector.’
Viking takes on new manager
Luna becomes UK’s biggest superyacht German builder Lloyd Werft F to international acclaim, the Launched in 2010 by the
115m Luna, pictured above, has become the world’s largest charter expedition yacht. The vessel is also now the largest superyacht registered under the British flag, having recently switched from Bermuda in a process handled by Watkins Superyachts, the London-based agency which had been selected to serve as Luna’s manager and central charter agent. The 5,500gt Luna can accommodate up to 18 guests and 49 crew. The vessel features ‘at anchor stabilisers’ which work at
that, following the publicity surrounding the launch of its £32m 155 yacht for Formula One chief Eddie Jordan earlier this year, a second unit of the same size has been sold. The keel for the latest 155, which will be powered by twin 16V MTUs, was laid at the company’s shipyard at Poole Quay last month. Sunseeker was tight-lipped about who the new vessel is being built for and what the price tag is.
zero speed to increase onboard comfort at anchor and on rough waters, and has a cruising speed of 12 knots. ‘We are proud to be working with Luna,’ said Captain Adrian McCourt, head of Watkins Superyachts. ‘A superyacht is a luxury to be enjoyed and as her new managers we are committed to developing a synergy between management and crew to deliver the ultimate superyacht experience.’ Reported to have cost around US$185m, Luna was built for the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
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