Carol Fulford talks to the co-founders and CEO of Finnish marina builder Marinetek as the company celebrates quarter of a century
Marina Leases
Darren Vaux, Oscar Siches and Donatella Zucca explore the problems, challenges and potential solutions to marina operator concessions
Metstrade
There was a new buzz at the 2019 Marina & Yard Pavilion at Metstrade with steady visitors and extra educational opportunities
A solar array on a high altitude lake in Switzerland; a floating activity centre in Copenhagen, Denmark; and a swing bridge in Rimini, Italy
Developments at PIANC RecCom; certification pathways for professionals; the benefits of marina accreditation; Global Marina Institute developments; first Clean Marina award in Thailand
On the cover: Many Italian marinas have suffered punitive damage as concession fees have risen by up to five times the original cost. Marina di Punta Ala, along with others in Tuscany, has succeeded in obtaining a review. Fees have been reduced although not necessarily in line with the original 1976 agreement. Read more on p.33
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The Highs of 2019
2019 was an encouraging year in terms of new marina builds and major refurbishment and operations contracts, confirming that our industry continues to attract serious investment at a global level.
In North America and the Caribbean, Port Louis Marina was extended in Grenada and Nanny Cay in Tortola, BVI renovated following hurricane damage; Friday Harbour on Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada completed its second phase; Suntex announced multi-million dollar plans to renovate Las Olas Marina in Fort Lauderdale; and F3 Marina also broke ground in Fort Lauderdale with its F3 Drystack, designed to take drystack to the next level of service and technology. Planning and design progressed for the five-year phased rebuild of The Marina at Dana Point in southern California, which at over 2,400 slips is the largest on the US west coast.
In Southeast Asia and Oceania, Discovery Bay Marina Club in Hong Kong was rebuilt; construction started on a new marina – Argo Yacht Club – in Tainan, Taiwan; and Ana Marina in Nha Trang, Vietnam readied for opening. Resort consent was granted to add over 250 berths to Port Marlborough’s Waikawa Marina in New Zealand and the first phase of Trinity Point Marina on Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia opened for business. In Queensland, work began on 318-berth Gateway Marina near Bundaberg and a 66-berth extension was announced for Sanctuary Cove Marina. Stage one of The Boat Works’ North Precinct – the largest superyacht marina and shipyard in the southern hemisphere – was unveiled in May and is due to open early this year.
In Europe, Greece continued to invite expressions of interest for several marinas, plans were announced for 440-berth Pilea Marina and a concession awarded for Alimos Marina near Athens. Marina Rovinj on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula in Croatia was rebuilt for ACI and the all-new Marina Vukovar completed on the Danube River. IGY opened IGY Marina Sète in the south of France; a purpose-built superyacht facility and its second European destination. Plans were announced to add extra berths at Buckler’s Hard Marina in Beaulieu, UK, and contracts were issued for a mixed-use marina in the village of Skärhamn on the west coast of Sweden.
A new marina in São Miguel in the Azores and a potential - and controversialbehemoth in Balaklava Bay in the Crimea also garnered attention.
Company buy-outs and marina operations contracts also hit the headlines. Brunswick Group bought Freedom Boat Club; Jonas Software bought Pacsoft International. D-Marin won a slew of Middle East management contracts and, by March 2019, was operating 14 marinas in five countries.
A far more detailed overview of recent marina industry developments will be published in our next edition of Marina World Suppliers & Services (March 2020March 2021). If you provide services or equipment to marinas, please visit www. marinaworld.com and complete your free of charge entry – today!
Happy New Year to you all.
Carol Fulford Editor
Meet the Marina World team on booth 116 at IMBC 2020, Florida (14th-16th January)
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Contract awarded for Marina Bay rebuild
GIBRALTAR: Marinetek, Finland, has won the competitive tender to rebuild Marina Bay in Ocean Village. The contract was signed at Metstrade, Amsterdam in November last year.
Formerly a separate 252berth marina, Marina Bay was purchased by Ocean Village owner and chairman, Greg Butcher, in 2006 and has been undergoing a major refurbishment programme. “The living heart of the marina is already built so we want a world class marina facility and superyacht marina that encourages visiting guests to stay – and not just call in for cheap fuel,” explained marina director William Bowman.
Marinetek will replace the marina’s existing Mediterranean mooring system, originally installed in the late 1980s, with
a complete floating pontoon arrangement. This will take the need for larger berths into account with an expansion and configuration that accommodates 270 vessels. A significant number of 15m (49ft) and 18m (59ft) berths are in the mix and up to 12 superyacht berths.
Marina Projects of the UK has been retained to devise the configuration of the superyacht mooring.
Pontoon installation is due to take place in April/May and completion is scheduled for December. The superyacht berths, part of an expansion
State government releases development opportunity
AUSTRALIA: A 9,858m² (106,111ft²) state-owned site with marina allotment has been released by the Queensland Government as the first commercial development opportunity in The Spit Master Plan.
“This will be the first undeveloped commercial site to be released since the late 1990s, so this presents an excellent opportunity for investors to create a world-class precinct,” explains Minister for State Development Cameron Dick. The site, adjacent to Sunland’s Mariner’s Cove, is one of only a few places in Australia offering a chance to build a deep-water marina within walking distance of a surf beach.
The site will likely suit a mixeduse retail, commercial, residential and short-term accommodation development.
being spearheaded by Marina Club, are to be complemented by 144 high-end waterfront rental apartments with rooftop spas. All are linked by walkways to create an integrated community.
Third superyacht summit
UAE: The 2020 International Superyacht Summit, sponsored by DP World subsidiary P&O Marinas and initiated and co-organised by Fabulous Yachts, will be held in Dubai 11th-12th March.
The summit will explore new themes, such as how superyacht marina developments empower lifestyle and tourism and the role of yachting upscale industry in new and consolidated tourist destinations.
“The delivery of The Spit Master Plan means we now have a cohesive vision for the area that will unlock private and public investment while ensuring the protection and enhancement of public open space,” he adds.
“With the Gold Coast one of Australia’s great boating destinations, both in terms of ownership and tourism, a new marina that provides extra boat moorings and superyacht berths should attract strong demand,” the Minister says. “The Department of State development will select an experienced commercial property agent to handle the sale, which we expect will attract interest from local, interstate and international buyers.”
Delegates will also discuss the emerging trends in superyacht ownership and how builders can accommodate the needs of a younger generation of owners and charterers. Central to this theme is the growing environmental awareness of the younger customer and the higher intolerance of unsustainable practices.
Further information: www.dubainternationalsuperyachtsummit.com
Markku Rantanen (seated left) of Marinetek signs the contract with William Bowman (seated right) to rebuild Marina Bay in Ocean Village.
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25 years for Premier
UK: Premier Marinas, the UK’s largest coastal marina owner, celebrated its 25th anniversary last September. Starting out with a portfolio of just Chichester and Port Solent marinas, it subsequently acquired Falmouth, Brighton, Southsea, Gosport, Swanwick and Sovereign Harbour marinas as well as the specialist boatyard Endeavour Quay in Gosport.
The group’s acquisition by The Wellcome Trust in May 2015 enabled it to develop a long term business strategy whilst facilitating the acquisition of Noss on Dart Marina in 2016 and the Waterfront at Sovereign Harbour in 2018. It has ambitious plans for redeveloping a number of its sites and remains keen to add to its portfolio.
This rare ability to take a longer term view of its portfolio and invest strategically extends across the Premier group; ensuring sites evolve and are fit for the future in an ongoing cycle of evaluation and regeneration. Examples of this strategy in action include the development of boatyards at Chichester and Swanwick and the latter’s new pontoon replacement programme.
“We are incredibly proud to have reached our 25th year,” said CEO Pete Bradshaw. “Premier’s success is built on a culture that inspires loyalty and we are lucky to have many long standing staff, customers, tenants and suppliers. The Premier team is undoubtedly key to our success. On average, our employees have seven years of service and we have 29 members of staff who have been with us for more than ten years. Premier would not be the business it is without them; they are what helps make Premier such a fantastic company.”
GMM to run Nawi Island Marina
FIJI: Gulf Marina Management (GMM) has been awarded the contract to run the new Nawi Island Marina and Shipyard in Savusavu. Bellingham Marine is due to begin construction of the marina this month (January).
GMM chairman, Andrew Chapman CMM, said he is very excited to be involved with the facility and has reviewed the design in line with current data on the types of vessels visiting Fiji, customer expectations, time spent in the region and cruising requirements.
The new marina will accommodate 130 vessels and have 19 berths for superyachts up to 85m (279ft) in length. The facility has been engineered to cyclone levels that will enable vessels to stay in the water year-round.
Fiji is expecting a significant increase in the number of superyachts visiting over the next few years because of the America’s
Cup regatta in Auckland and onshore facilities at Nawi Island will be of high standard so as to support the visiting yacht owners, captains and crew. Significant investment has also been made in fuelling infrastructure and plans are in hand to develop a resort with health spa to complement the yacht club and restaurant facilities that are being constructed at the same time as the marina.
The shipyard, which has a wide body 75 ton Marine Travelift suitable for handling catamarans, will be constructed on a separate site nearby.
Chapman says he expects to have facilities available to accommodate yachts from May this year.
Walcon Marine is currently undertaking the second phase of pontoon replacement at Swanwick Marina.
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Open for superyacht charter
AUSTRALIA: The Australian parliament has passed legislation through the Senate enabling foreign superyachts to charter in Australian waters.
The special recreational vessel legislation will allow superyachts use of a coastal trading temporary licence, allowing commercial charter activities. Vessels will be protected from importation and be required to pay 10% of GST on the value of the charter. The legislation came into effect in December 2019 while work to amend the Coastal Trading Act to cater for superyachts in the long term continues to be progressed.
Changes to the Coastal Trading Act have gone to parliament in 2015 and again in 2018 without successfully passing the Senate. In order to allow the superyacht industry to take advantage of upcoming events in the Pacific, such as the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and the America’s Cup in Auckland in 2021, the Australian Government introduced the legislation separating superyachts from the previous disagreements over coastal cargo operations. This enabled bipartisan support, which allowed passage of the legislation in near record time and finalised on the last day of parliament for the year.
David Good, CEO of Superyacht Australia, said: “We have been working tirelessly to achieve this for many years for industry. The ability to charter in Australia now supplements charter in New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji and Papua New Guinea where superyacht charter is already permitted and reinforces the South Pacific as a destination of choice for superyachts.”
Tenders for Itea
GREECE: The Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) is inviting Expressions of Interest for the concession of Itea Marina on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth.
The tender covers port operation services (including berthing) and upland development, and is for a period of at least 35 years.
The existing marina has 146 berths for vessels up to 30m (98ft) in length and has 2.47ha (6.1 acres) of upland. It is well positioned to accommodate yachts crossing the Corinithian Gulf en route from the Aegean to the Ionian Sea via the Corinth Canal. Itea has experienced significant tourism growth since 2015.
Enquiries should be sent to: info@hraf.gr
Pontoon extension completes at Port Louis
GRENADA: The new 90-berth extension at Port Louis Marina, built by Marinetek for Camper & Nicholson’s Marinas (C&NM), was completed last November. The Grenada Tourism Authority joined with the marina team to officially open the pontoons.
“We have seen an increase of demand for seasonal and visiting yachts to Port Louis Marina, and the offer of the new berthing is to better facilitate charter yachts visiting the island of Grenada, and further support sailing events and regattas with more berthing solutions,” said marina manager Charlotte Bonin. “We are delighted to open in time for the Caribbean season.”
The new berths range from 12 to 22m (39 to 72ft) on two piers. Triple berths have been incorporated to cater for the increasing demand for
catamaran berths. All berths have access to power and water via anodised aluminium Quantum pedestals supplied by Rolec Marina Services. A selection of the berths offers both US and European sockets.
Rolec also installed its BerthMaster electricity and water management system.
Owned and managed by C&NM, Port Louis Marina overlooks the historic capital of St George’s and is designed to reflect traditional Creole architecture. It makes a significant contribution to local tourism.
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MARINETEK: 25 YEARS
Passion, commitment and hard work
A lot can happen in quarter of a century. Marinetek co-founders and directors Ilkka Seppälä and Markku Rantanen reflect upon 25 years and, in tandem with president and CEO Mika Parviainen, look to the future. Carol Fulford listens in. Many friends get together to dream up business ventures. Most are by instinct. “If you share experience and discuss different things you become open to different ways of achieving things,” he explains.
Friends and business partners, Ilkka Seppälä (left) and Markku Rantanen have worked together to realise an ambition to sell marina solutions worldwide. abandoned; some come to fruition; and a few thrive. The true test is to maintain both business-based friendship and friendship-based business. “We’re not just friends but brothers,” says Seppälä, glancing at Rantanen with a smile that reaches his eyes. “We’ve always worked together – Markku’s a sounding post and a soul mate,” he adds. Rantanen is a listener
Porto Carras in Halkidiki is the largest marina in northern Greece and is one of the leading megayacht destinations in the eastern Mediterranean. Marinetek delivered the marina system in 2003 to Technical Olympic.
Both cut their teeth in the pontoon business at now-defunct Finnish company Byratek, designing and selling off-the-shelf pontoons for the domestic market. “Everything came from a product catalogue,” says Seppälä, “whereas our business plan was to offer customised products – selling a solution and not just pontoons priced by the square metre.” They also looked beyond Finland’s borders. “Our first project was a breakwater in Holland. This was followed by deliveries to the UK and Germany. But we kept a close eye on
Securing the contract for The Palm Jumeirah marinas in the UAE significantly helped Marinetek to broaden its global reach.
the domestic market,” he confirms. Rantanen interjects to emphasise that marketing was also important from day one. “We built up our name carefully until it became a brand.”
By 1997 Marinetek was market leader in Finland for pontoons and breakwaters, and the market was booming. “We’d moved from rented factory space and invested in a 3,400m² [36,597ft²] factory in Vantaa as well as extra offices off site,” Seppälä notes. “This put us in a perfect position when it became municipal policy to build marinas everywhere. We also started the Villa pontoon range so as to capture the private sector. We became market leader and remain so – for both.”
New markets
In order to continue to build its export business, Marinetek started to sell licences but, over time, realised that, while sub-contractors were of value for some projects, keeping in-house control of production was in most cases a better business model. Today, Marinetek has nine factories in key locations, half of which are wholly owned, and half are used subject to contract. This gives the company production capacity in its main business markets of northern Europe, southern Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and North America, and follows its determination to expand into selective markets with a splash rather than a mere ripple.
globally.”
Securing the contract for The Palm Jumeirah in the UAE as a first Middle East project and Palm Harbor, Florida as a first US reference is impressive by any standards. “Palm Jumeirah took six years to build and was a big learning curve,” Seppälä admits. “But this referencealong with Palm Harbor - opened up markets around the world. I truly believe that these two
Mika Parviainen, president and CEO: “We have high ambitions to grow
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MARINETEK: 25 YEARS
references gave Marinetek the strength and reputation that it has today.”
The door that opened into the USA brought a further focus; that of personalities. “This was the contract that really taught me how important people are,” Seppälä recalls, reflecting on his conversations with David Chase of the Chase family, private owners of Palm Harbor. Rantanen picks up here. “We’ve been successful because we worked to make the contacts,” he asserts. “It’s important to give people proper answers, to make them feel confident that they are dealing with people who know what they’re talking about. They need honest answers.” New focus
In 25 years a company can turn full circle, absorbing a lot of experience on the journey. Although starting out as a provider of pontoons and breakwaters, the directors re-invented the Marinetek brand as the expert for ‘floating solutions’. The company was successfully and actively involved in floating homes and other floating structures, such as swimming pools, and also bought into marinas as owners/operators. In 2018 there was a re-think. “We realised we should be focusing on being a marina builder and that being a floating solutions provider was a distraction,” Rantanen admits. “It was a good pioneering experience but not our core business.”
Enter Mika Parviainen, bringing CEOlevel international project management experience to the table, along with whirlwind energy to restore the focus and lead the company to the next level.
“We made a strategic decision to exit from marina ownership/operations and also created a franchising arrangement for Bluet Oy, our floating swimming arena and floating home partner, whereby we are only involved in supplying the flotation products,” he confirms. “These business arenas need a different model of operation, different people etc. We want to focus on what we do best – to design and build strong marinas.”
Parviainen, appointed as president and CEO in April 2018, set out to better streamline the business at management level. “We have high ambitions to grow globally,” he stresses. “Although we had managers in other countries or regions, like Croatia and the Middle East, the overall management was very much Helsinkibased. We’ve brought the managers of our five key business regions more closely into the fold. In a sense, our company headquarters is not a place any more but a group of people with specialist local knowledge of our markets.” He has also concentrated on talking to customers and discussing
Palm Harbor Marina in West Palm Beach, Florida offers slips for vessels up to 250 feet (76m) at docks delivered by Marinetek North America.
their expectations, and confirms that the new back-to-roots business focus is bringing results. “It’s the way forward.”
For him, the future emphasis will be on continuing in-house engineering and project management and establishing a stronghold in the western Mediterranean; up for possible discussion with potential partners. In the meantime, he expects particular growth in the US/Caribbean in the short term and inevitable growth in Southeast Asia and the Far East as part of longer term strategies. Without a doubt, there will be notable projects in the future mix as has been the case to date.
Seppälä cites The Palm Jumeirah as the company’s most significant contract and, as a global industry icon that can be viewed from space, it’s hard to beat. Rantanen is unsurprised by Seppälä’s choice while giving his vote to Aker Brygge, Norway with special mentions to Limassol Marina, Cyprus and Porto Carras in Greece.
The ultimate vote, however, goes to a team that for 25 years has upheld the Marinetek values of ‘passion, commitment and hard work’.
“You have to love what you do and what you want; and we wanted to be the best and the biggest in Europe,” Seppälä says. Rantanen nods and flashes an elvish grin. “The best, yes! But we’re not arrogant,” he stresses. “We are just professionals.”
Marinetek has more than 2,000 marina references and has delivered projects in 52 countries. The company specialises in concrete pontoons and breakwaters and also offers marina systems in steel, aluminium and timber.
Located in the heart of Oslo’s most vibrant social centre, the marina of Aker Brygge is now a highly popular Norwegian guest harbour.
La Valletta Loano Hammamet Stora Palau
Fiskardo Aqaba Port Gogek Khiran
Castellammare di Stabia Lefkas Tripoli
Venezia Spalato Maratona Salerno Piskera La
Maddalena Gouvia Muggia Maratea Gedda
Capo d’Orlando Tremezzo Doha Tivat Trani
Lixouri Procida Al Fintas Carrara Brissago
Genova Rodi Dammam Sistiana Locarno
Cagliari Atene Lacco Ameno Palermo
Manfredonia Novi Vinodolski Montecarlo
Viareggio Bari Alassio Farasan
Budva Ravenna Portorose Bari
Villasimius Taranto Biograd Cala di Volpe Bari
Jesolo Savona Lisbona Portovenere Novigrad
Rab Bisceglie Aiaccio La Spezia Portoferraio
Lustiça Trieste Montecarlo Santa Manza Riva del
Garda Castiglioncello Kastela Al Faw Portofino
S. Margherita Ligure Volme Methoni Livorno
Haquel Napoli Marsaxlokk Jesolo Aci Trezza
Taranto Mgarr S. Teresa di Gallura Grado
Rovigno Chioggia Vibo Valenza Mitilene
Imperia Como Agios Kosmas Monfalcone
MARINA LEASES
The future of government marina leases and concessions
by Darren Vaux
Marinas provide essential boat storage, vessel maintenance, supplies and amenities that support the boating community and the broader community through employment, economic activity, tourism and the social wellbeing arising from the human interactions associated with boating activity. In many locations, they drive tourism as they continue to transition from ‘boat parks’ to tourism destinations. As a consequence, they require higher levels of management expertise and capital investment.
A marina is essentially privately funded and operated public infrastructure essential to support the significant economic contribution and employment of the boating and tourism industries and the recreational lifestyle needs of a large proportion of the general population. But marina investment is not easy.
Marina investments and businesses are characterised by challenging/high risk government planning controls (which delay investment), large initial capital requirements, high maintenance
their property rights derived from government leases and concessions. To attract and retain capital for marina investments, marina investors and operators need to achieve a return on investment commensurate with risk and effort and the nature and fluidity of government policy has a significant impact on this risk profile. Consequently, marina investments require the support of government agencies in the provision of leases or concessions that support the development, operation, maintenance
costs, and high management costs. They are not passive investments and require attention to detail and customer service. They require ongoing adaption to market needs through additional capital investment and change in offering and management approach. In many respects, they are similar to hotels from a management intensity viewpoint with the added complexity of the marine environment and the technical aspects of meeting the infrastructure needs of large vessels. Marinas also have the added complexity of having all or some of
and re-investment required to deliver and maintain high quality marina infrastructure in the best interests of the community.
To establish a sustainable leasing framework between government and the marina industry the objectives of each party need to be understood. Government agencies seek to provide boat storage, servicing, amenities and access to the waterways to meet the needs of the boating and general community in a selffunding way that minimises the risk to government and provides a fair
return for public assets. They also want to create tourism destinations that facilitate the creation of economic activity and maximise the quality of life of their community.
Marina investors and operators want a leasing framework that promotes attractive and sustainable private sector investment in the development, operation, maintenance and ongoing enhancement and adaption of maritime properties and the development of value in business goodwill to meet the current and changing needs of the boating public and broader community.
Like all investments, marinas rely on an economic model where there is a demand for services that is not met by existing suppliers or competition. Having satisfied that fundamental issue, the key challenges that marina investments face are as follows:
• Project and investment: the physical aspects of the proposed anchorage. Factors like water depth, fetch, exposure, tidal movement, current, access and ecology all have significant impact on the complexity and capital requirements of the marina infrastructure. This is particularly important where long term marina investments need to contemplate the ability to adapt to the consequences of accelerated climate change.
• Planning: planning law and environmental constraints are often a significant impediment and cost imposed on marina development. The planning complexity of building over foreshore and water invokes complex planning law challenges that often mean that planning consents for marinas take many years and are much more difficult and expensive than comparable landside developments. This directly affects both the access to, and return on, capital for marina investments.
• Lease contracts and funding: the availability and terms of government concessions/leases affects both the
Fig 1 – impact of ratchet rents.
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MARINA LEASES
initial and ongoing investment security of marinas. Marina concessions are many decades in length and payback periods on marina investments are long. This can be very challenging in an environment where government policy towards concessions changes in cycles more commensurate with political cycles of a few years and consumer behaviour and technologies require ongoing adaption and investment. Fixed term leases undermine the ability to attract and retain investment capital. Debt funding remains challenging as marinas are treated as ‘specialised assets’ under Basel III banking standards and, as such, are subject to tighter lending criteria than competing landside investments. This manifests in a larger demand for equity and consequential higher weighted cost of capital ( WACC) compared to landside investments. This is primarily due to the uncertainty of the security of government concessions, but can be overcome with adoption of lease or concession principles that encourage and support investment as set out below.
depth of piles or other supporting infrastructure.
• The exposure and fetch – this will determine whether a breakwater or wave attenuation system is required to create a marina basin that is suitable for boat storage.
• Tidal range and current – this will determine marina orientation and gangway design and location.
There are four key elements of marina concessions/leases that affect the investment quality of the lease/ concession:
• Rent
• Lease term, options and renewability
• Administrative burden and constraints
• Performance criteria
Rent
Rents payable for marina concessions should provide a fair return to government while meeting the criteria of being a sustainable cost of occupancy for the marina investment. Consequently, this sustainable occupancy cost of marina concession rents needs to be considered on a case by case basis based on the business model for a given marina. Seabed area is not a reliable factor in determining the amount of rent a marina should pay. The amount of area required to accommodate a given amount of boat storage is highly dependent on a number of key factors including:
• The water depth and seabed profile – this will affect how far from the shore the boat storage can start, the configuration of the marina and the
• The size and nature of vessels to be stored – larger vessels, motor boats and sailing yachts have different physical characteristics, infrastructure needs and manoeuvrability which affect the design and configuration of marinas.
Based on the factors above, seabed area requirements can vary by more than 100% for a given amount of boat storage and, as a consequence, seabed/land area is an unsuitable factor for use or comparison to determine marina rents.
Marina rents can be determined using a residual land value/rental cost from a marina business case and investment model. This approach looks at the potential earning capacity of the marina less operating costs to determine gross profit from operations and then factors in the initial investment, depreciation, amortisation and market referenced benchmarked returns to determine the component of revenue the marina can afford to pay in rent and remain a viable, sustainable and competitive investment. This is known as the ‘Sustainable Occupancy Cost’, the principles of which have been established by Industry and are the subject of an ICOMIA IMG Policy Statement dated June 2018.
Sustainable occupancy cost is often expressed as a percentage of
turnover for a particular component of a marina operation. This will need to be determined from first principles in each jurisdiction but is based on a ‘residual land value’ valuation approach outlined above. The variable nature of these factors means that there is a range of outcomes. Review of rents around the world sees a 90% range of 2-8% with a mean of around 6% of annual gross turnover before taxes. This is applicable on the basis of long and renewable tenures and where the creation of the marina basin (excavation and breakwaters) is not funded by the marina investor. Rents above these levels lead to poor investment outcomes, and consequently poor public infrastructure and economic and employment outcomes.
Marina concession rents determined using the sustainable occupancy cost model and reflected as a percentage of turnover have the following advantages:
• They are a fair reflection of the earning capacity of the site
• They adapt to relative market values as higher berthing charges in premium areas are reflected in revenue and vice versa
• They adjust to market fluctuations in the long term
• The percentage of turnover can reflect the scale of investment and security of tenure
• They overcome the challenge that market comparisons are difficult as no two marinas are alike and other land uses are not directly comparable It is essential that long term marina lease clauses do not contain ratchet provisions for rent. The benefit of turnover rents is that they respond to economic conditions over time such that the landlord and lessee share the
Fig 2 – re-investment versus amortisation.
MARINA LEASES
benefits of the good times and the challenges of the down times. Ratchet rents impose a cost burden on the lessee in a falling market at a time when the business is under pressure from other fixed costs (see figure 1).
It is important to note that marinas are often not, from a valuation point of view, the highest and best use (using the valuation definition) of waterfront land. This is typically residential or other property use with a high value per square metre. Marinas are regional infrastructure that have economic and social values way beyond their boundaries. They are essential infrastructure for public access to the waterways, and infrastructure and access for waterway users, and the land should be valued with consideration to these constraints. This is important when government valuations are used to determine land taxes or other value related taxes and marinas should not be burdened with valuations determined from higher use options in this way.
Lease terms, options and renewability
An essential requirement for competitive, sustainable and viable marina investments is the certainty of long-term tenure and renewability of same. Leases and concessions are the legal instruments used to provide the rights to private investors to develop and operate marinas on public land where the government does not wish to offer - or is not capable of offeringthe land for freehold sale. An inherent limitation of a lease or concession instrument is its fixed term, which is not compatible with the investment, operation, growth and re-investment of marina infrastructure and businesses.
Fixed term leases without renewability force a business model where the assets and goodwill of the operator are amortised to zero by the end of the term. Marina business goodwill is not portable as it is geographically co-dependent. Where marina investors and operators are provided with the opportunity to renew their leases, they will adopt a business model that maintains the marina infrastructure, re-invest to adapt to market changes and focus on providing customer service outcomes that grow goodwill. The comparison of business models for amortisation versus re-investment is set out indicatively in figure 2.
From a government landlord point of view, where turnover rents are adopted as set out in figure 2, the landlord will see growth in return as it is tied to the financial performance of the marina operator (see figure 3).
Initial lease terms should be a minimum of 40 years with terms included within the lease for extension of the term of the lease based on either mid-term re-investment or maintenance of the marina to an infrastructure and operating standard. Existing industry recognised schemes available to validate these criteria include the Global Gold Anchor Scheme, Blue Star, Clean Marinas and Blue Flag. An example of how this could be applied is where a marina is 20 years through a 40 year lease and has applied ongoing capital and maintenance to a given Gold Anchor standard, the marina is granted a ten year extension at each ten year review period allowing the marina to maintain a minimum remaining term of 20 years providing it maintains the operating performance to the accreditation standard. For larger tranches of capital investment longer
terms would then apply. This can be formularised into lease instruments. The challenge is that it does provide a mechanism for perpetuating leases and some legal controls may be required to address this technically. The objective, however, from an investment point of view is the lease delivers rights equivalent to freehold property where governments retain the right of resumption through the payment of compensation and that the concession/business is available to other investors through the acquisition of the business including its infrastructure and goodwill.
To be very clear, the concept that a marina business is put up for tender by the government landlord at the end of a fixed term where the government then achieves a windfall from the infrastructure investment and goodwill development of the current operator is clearly not sustainable, moral or reasonable and delivers very poor outcomes for all parties. We need to change this thinking and approach and establish a new paradigm for this commercial relationship.
The ICOMIA Marinas Group (IMG) has developed a policy on marina lease tenures, which can be downloaded for free from the ICOMIA Library at https:// icomia.org/icomia-library
Administrative burden and constraints
Marina leases and concessions typically allocate all of the risks of operation, health and safety, environmental compliance and insurance risk to the marina investor/ operator. At the same time, there is a tendency to incorporate within lease documents administrative burdens and constraints to give the government landlord some ‘control’ over the marina operator. These reporting and approval processes are largely redundant due to the risk allocation and impose an administrative burden and cost on both the marina operator and the government landlord.
These circumstances are more favourably dealt with by preparing a schedule of reporting criteria and exception reporting so that key information and advice is given as required. Government landlords
Fig 3 – Government return from seabed leases.
MARINA LEASES
can take further comfort from the marina’s participation in industry accreditation programmes relating to operating standards and environmental compliance as outlined below.
Performance criteria
Leases and concessions by their very nature set minimum performance criteria and sanctions for failing to meet these criteria. This again is an area where the typical lease/concession legal instrument falls short on delivering the legal framework required to incentivise the pursuit of excellence in the development, operation and re-investment in marina infrastructure.
The incorporation of criteria within marina leases or concessions that reward measurable performance or outcomes is in the benefit of all stakeholders. Examples of these performance criteria could include:
• ISO or National Marina Standards
• Maintenance of service and infrastructure standards as measured by the Global Gold Anchor programme
• Maintenance of environmental outcomes as measured by the
International Clean Marina programme
• Performance against other criteria specific to a particular marina, which might include boating public access to services and facilities at the marina, an example of which is the Sydney Harbour Destinations Plan in Australia [https://www.rms.nsw. gov.au/maritime/using-waterways/ boating-destinations-plan/index.html]
The incorporation of these positive incentives within marina leases for the maintenance of standards for infrastructure and public outcomes is far more effective than minimum standards and sanctions in delivering positive community outcomes in the long term.
Marina lease/concession frameworks that incorporate the principles of sustainable occupancy costs for rents, provide long lease terms with renewability for re-investment or meeting performance criteria and adopt administrative terms that are not a burden to the landlord or lessee provide the framework for the delivery and operation of long term high quality and valuable marina infrastructure.
They incentivise ongoing improvement and the pursuit of excellence. They promote competition based on quality of services and infrastructure, not just price. They create tourism attractions for towns and regions with commensurate economic activity and employment and they support an industry whose sole purpose is the enrichment of people’s lives through access to all forms of recreational boating. Our industry must clearly articulate this message. The benefits to the community and a proactive and long term vision from government policy makers will be in the best interests of their constituents.
In some respects, it requires a change of mindset from industry and government alike, to adopt a proactive and collaborative approach where both parties can meet or exceed their expectations and where the ultimate beneficiary is the broader community.
Darren Vaux is president of the Boating Industry Association of Australia, executive committee member of ICOMIA and co-owner of the award winning Platinum Gold Anchor Empire Marina Bobbin Head in Sydney, Australia.
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The good, the fair and the dangerous
by Oscar Siches
Since this article was mooted, quite a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, the most significant development being the excellent planning study Darren Vaux of the Marina Industry Association of Australia undertook for the ICOMIA Marinas Group.
In the two study papers (available on www.icomia.org/icomia-library)
there is much information but, as in many cases, if something is created to work for everybody, some non-core information has to be sacrificed that could be important to certain users. Different types of marinas, different cultures, different countries. It is very hard to deal with all of that at the same time. Finding the common characteristics is almost an art. How do we do this?
Let’s bring France to the table. Two different coastal areas: one facing the English Channel (La Manche) and the Cantabrian Sea; the other facing the Mediterranean. Each is an autonomous place not just in terms of geographic location, but for type of marinas and type of clients, both of which define the way they are run.
At the Channel marinas we find a majority run as mixed societies, i.e. a private-local government collaboration known as an SEM (Mixed Economic Society). Projects are presented by private companies with experience,
good management records, innovative plans, and a good focus on integrating with the community. The best private companies run the concessions as 49% partners, while the government - which owns the coastline and the adjacent waters and governs the logistics -
MARINA LEASES
Government needs to understand that marinas differ in scope. What the marina customer requires, how boats are used and how much money is spent on site are factors that should affect concession terms and costs. Requirements at Marina de Lagos (left) in Portugal, for example, are very different to those at superyachtbased centres like Port Hercules in Monaco (below).
has 51%. They split profits, agree on investments, and the balance between government and private interests is achieved for the benefit of the users. In this northwest region of France (Brittany to the Belgian border), the average yacht is around 11m (36ft), it is hard to find a yacht of 30m (98ft), and the majority of berth holders are local or from nearby cities. They are used to sailing in bad weather and dealing with tides and shifting sand banks. They are tough yachties.
During the summer, the marinas welcome a lot of visitors from Belgium, the UK and Holland and many of the boat owners who use these marinas as homeports cast off for two to threeweek holidays sometimes travelling as far as Galicia in Spain. Most marinas are public, meaning that anyone can enter, stroll around and visit the bars and restaurants but some marinas control access to the piers for the privacy and safety of boat owners.
Let’s go to the Mediterranean. The occupancy of most marinas in the Mediterranean consists of a high proportion of foreign boats, mostly from northern Europe (the UK, Germany and Scandinavia). This has been the case since day one of the marina
MARINA LEASES
Channel marinas, such as Saint-Quay Port d’Armor in the northwest of France, are popular with serious sailors. Most marinas in the Brittany region enjoy private-local government collaboration regarding concessions.
phenomenon (in the 1960s) and has strengthened even further with the arrival of low cost flights. For northern Europeans it makes sense to fly to the Mediterranean once a month for a three/four-day holiday. The mild southern weather makes it worth flying down even in non perfect weather conditions as it is easy to relax for a couple of days trying the local cuisines and enjoying the laid back culture. Only a few marinas do not permit public access and these tend to berth large yachts, where security has to be maintained to a high standard and insurance companies may even dictate policies regarding access.
Why am I telling you about data that is not inherent to government concessions and leases? Easy: it’s highly important to know what the user of a marina needs, how he/she uses a boat and spends money. If the government understands these factors, it will be better able to value the propositions of the private companies aiming to be part of the concession, and the information will be of use every time an improvement, investment or new idea is placed on the table. Or it will create the basis for bidding for a concession with terms that are downto-earth and not sheer imagination.
The second best type of concession is a private government concession, with an initial investment by the bidder, and a lease consisting of a fixed amount plus a percentage of the marina turnover.
This is good because the lease fee reflects the real occupation/income of the marina. It is very easy to make a business plan when one knows the cost of the overheads and that the rest
of the fee is going to be a proportional part of the turnover. The flexible part of the lease can be considered a cost of sales. This type of concession term is normal practice in Croatia.
The third and most dangerous type is investment plus fixed lease amount. This does not take account of bad seasons, bad weather or other external factors affecting the arrival of transients. There is a further danger. All countries have official prices for the lease of government land. In the 1970s, concession lengths of 50 years were usual, and 100 years was sometimes even available. In the 1980s many governments realised that the value of the business leases grew much faster than the index of updating the lease price, so they started reducing the maximum concession time to 30/40 years to have the system under control and avoid imbalance of concession value/lease. Business was still possible, but the investment and overheads had to be taken more seriously. In the late 1990s the marina industry in the Med was overwhelmed by longer, larger yachts. Shipyards delivered many more boats a year and set up production lines for 24 to 27m (80 to 90ft) boats. Clients started to demand more services, and fashionable spots like Cannes, Antibes, Porto Cervo and Monaco had waiting lists. Homeport or transient berth prices soared and local government sank their greedy claws into the industry.
In 1983, Spain issued a decree invalidating any concession length over 30 years – despite any prior agreements. This clear display of juridical insecurity (now you have it, now you don’t) triggered a few
It makes sense for northern Europeans to fly to the Mediterranean for long weekends. Marinas such as Marina Izola in Slovenia are attractive destinations.
legal action attempts but without any success. Later on, the government offered concessions to renew the 30year limit for another 20 to 30 years but assuming further investments and a new, higher lease that sometimes reached 400 times the original. The same thing happened in Italy, where concessions were not modified but leases increased sometimes 100-fold from one year to the next.
The most recent unpunished action has been the well-staged apparent open bid for the marinas in Antibes. There was a well-advertised international invitation to bid for 1,000 berth Port Vauban marina. Twelve companies bid and had to swallow hard when the winner was announced as the Antibes Chamber of Commerce in association with two local banks. They do not fulfil any of the conditions to run the concessions (experience, knowledge, technical team) but they had the greed and the last word. And this is happening in the first world.
If you feel a cold sweat breaking out while reading this, you can better understand why berth prices in the Mediterranean are so high. The Sheriff of Nottingham is the country administration, not the marina industry. What can the marina industry do about it? A lot, but it is a long and tedious road to success. The only tool we do have is our knowledge and understanding of the marina industry. But in the same way as most government administrations have not made efforts to understand our ‘reality’, we have not made much effort to understand theirs. Marina businesses have mostly begged for better conditions and permits, and
SETTING THE STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Wherever the site, whatever the size we have the bespoke marina berthing and protection solution. The photograph shows a recent project at Conwy Marina, Wales. Let us design and build your next project.
It is normal practice for marina operators in Croatia to secure a private government concession. This means the lease fee reflects the real occupation/income of the marina.
failed to offer something of interest to the government in exchange, like better harbour-city integration, training programmes for future local dockhands, school visits to teach children about yachting, or free lessons on inflatable steering or a knot workshop. If we were to make these community offers, the government could feel more receptive to listening to our ‘reality’ and trimming laws and regulations (including those ruling bids and concessions) into fair conditions for the industry.
This will happen sooner or later, but more later than sooner as most of the industry is still run in the old fashioned way, backing into a corner and resisting as much and as long as possible instead of trying to find an opening. It must be said that when governments lack information and are not interested in getting it, they do not offer ideal ground for efforts to transform nonexistent collaboration into fruitful
MARINA LEASES
cooperation - although this makes for a better future for both sides . . . and also for the community.
Fifteen years ago, when I was setting up my company at the notary, he read the deed, looked at me and my wife, and said: each of you owns 50% of the company. You have no other way
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ahead than to understand each other, whatever happens.
I hope the marina industry and government administration arrive at the same conclusion - as soon as possible. Oscar Siches runs Marina Matters, a consultancy based in Mallorca, Spain. E: oscar@siches.com
Med market hit by lack of uniform fee policy
The Mediterranean landscape of marina concessions is highly varied, reflecting both political and economic dynamics. In Italy, writes Donatella Zucca, the situation is Kafkaesque.
“Unfortunately, almost every country has its own model. This brings many challenges to marinas and the industry as it makes competition unfair,” says Martinho Fortunato, chairman of the ICOMIA Marinas Group (IMG). “In very general terms, state owned marinas usually have an advantage over private marinas as they do not have to pay rent to a landlord. And, if they pay, the fee is much lower than what private concessions pay.”
“In my opinion, rents should be made up of two fees – a flat fee that’s normally low and a fee based on the total turnover of the marina. The best examples follow this rule,” Fortunato continues. But different –and widespread – practices for rent value determination can cause serious problems. “Marinas are very long term projects and tend to pass through periods of growth and of recession. So, all the ones that are based solely on fixed fees or high financial responsibilities will not succeed for the concessionaire. If the responsibilities are very high, bad results that hit the
marina in periods of recession will risk the operation of the marina.”
Concessions can be revoked if economic recession makes them nonviable or if the tax burden becomes too great. “Both scenarios have a huge impact on local economies, employment and tourism,” Fortunato stresses. “And they normally take many years to overcome and lead to deep rooted infrastructure problems.”
Although unexpected rent increases can be imposed during the life of a concession, in countries such as Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Turkey and Croatia the state cannot unilaterally modify the amount of the annual fee as this has been based on a pre-agreed investment plan. “The rental fees are fixed according to the surface area occupied by the investor and can only be modified in accordance with inflation during the life of the concession.”
Basically, as Italian Marinas Association - Assomarinas - president Roberto Perocchio confirms, the most widespread practice in the Mediterranean is to establish rents
MARINA LEASES
Marina di Punta Ala, like others in Tuscany, has succeeded in obtaining a review of its concession fees.
based on square metre area and then ask potential investors what kind of investment they want to make. The best proposal, in terms of quality of project or other factors, wins a multiyear concession for the area in which work will be carried out. The concessionaire is the manager and the tenant.
“In the recent tender for Marina Alimos in Athens, Greece the concession fee focused on the type of investment but there are isolated incidents, such as in the Balearics, where auctions have been held to give the concession to the highest bidder,” Perocchio explains. “In Turkey, 50% of marinas are for sale and their management has been rendered uninviting by a weakening local clientele and reduced overseas visitors, and in France concession fees have not only risen but also reduced in length.”
as privately owned masterpieces and not just the assets of possible tax evaders.”
In Italy, due to confused politics and economics, state concession fees have risen by four to five times the original cost. This enormous increase has even affected marinas with established long term contracts and has put at least 20 facilities at risk.
Among those affected is Marina di Rimini, which has a 50-year concession with the Ministry of Transport that started in 1999. To cover 10 ha (24.7 acres) of water and 6 ha (15 acres) of upland, the concessionaire invested €40 million and paid an annual rent of about €80,000. “The value is in line with the concession deed which stipulated that the more improvement work we did the less we paid,” says marina director and managing director Giovanni Sorci. “However, in 2007 the government reversed the concept – the more we built the more we had to pay. The ‘reform’ equated tourist ports with bathing establishments and didn’t take any preagreed contracts into consideration.”
“The result was that, as from 2007, we had to pay €360,000 a year plus
Luciano Serra: “Politicians should start thinking of yachts
MARINA LEASES
10% regional tax – so, over €400,000. Since 2007 we’ve paid €3,600,000 as well as extra charges, penalties and surcharges. We have, of course, made every possible appeal but until a law is passed that excludes marinas with pre-2007 contracts we are blocked and at risk of failure.”
To add to the problem, since 2002 concessionaires have also had to pay a municipal tax (the IMU) on buildings for the entire length of the concession.
Some marinas – such as Marina di Varazze, Porto San Vito in Grado and, most particularly, Porto Carlo Riva in Rapallo – have escaped the lash but others have had to fight. Marina di Punta Ala, Cala de Medici, Marina Scarlino and many others in Tuscany have succeeded in obtaining reviews. “We gave various reasons in our dispute, the Constitutional Court and the TAR (regional administrative court) have proved us right. Accordingly, the municipal administration issued new orders according to lower criteria, but different from those of the concession release in 1976,” says Marco Conti, director of Marina di Punta Ala.
Giorgio Casareto, director of Marina di Varazze, confirms that fee increases were made but the marina took action in the civil court and the TAR. As a result, the fee was reduced. “Maybe, like others, we have pushed proceedings in the right direction,” he says.
The Mediterranean market needs top class, well maintained marinas and constant investment is required if marinas are to continue to attract
visitors, serve the core business of the 10-20m (33-66ft) boat, welcome superyachts and respective year-round crews, and continue to dominate the world charter market in their sector.
In Italy, tourist ports have needed regulatory clarifications for a decade, they’ve been penalised by a crisis in nautical tourism and by a state administration with accountancy problems.
Roberto Perocchio sums up the situation: “Further to a ministerial decree in 1998 that favoured the construction of marinas, from the 1990s to the early 2000s the Italian Government has accepted investor’s proposals to build on state-owned land and defined this with formal concession deeds that contained a fixed and indexed fee, to be paid until
Marina di Varazze has escaped the penalty of hiked fees.
the end of the concession. State fees were modified in the 2007 budget for marinas and tourist ports with existing contracts.”
“This has been disputed with success but several marinas are still in legal proceedings despite having won first and second judgements. This can still mean six or seven years of waiting before the end of the dispute so they don’t know what renovations to do,” he explains.
Although there are some areas of clarification, the Mediterranean doesn’t have uniform policies and this is even more pronounced in Italy where medium and long term policies for recreational boating are lacking despite the overwhelming importance of the nautical industry.
“Politicians should start thinking of yachts as privately owned masterpieces and not just the assets of possible tax evaders,” asserts Luciano Serra, president of Assonat – the National Association of Landing and Tourist Ports. “There has been no concrete dialogue regarding stateowned concessions. Furthermore, the previous government gave a 15 year deadline for the reform of state property concessions and it is unclear whether this applies just to bathing establishments or also to marinas. In certain regions the rule is applied to marinas and in others it’s not.”
Marina di Rimini has been severely affected, its pre-agreed contract has been overruled and increased fees have run into several million euros.
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THE MYP AT METSTRADE
A steady stream of serious interest
Metstrade 2019 (19th-21st November) further reinforced its reputation as the leading international B2B platform for the leisure marine equipment sector. Year on year, the event attracts increased visitors and exhibitors but last year’s record-busting result of 17,792 visitors and 1,670 exhibitors could be said to have raised the bar.
Truly global (visitors of 115 nationalities and exhibitors from 53 countries), Metstrade 2019 covered 28,915m² (311,238ft²) of exhibition space including expanded pavilions such as the Marina & Yard Pavilion (MYP). The organisers, RAI Amsterdam, were particularly pleased to welcome no fewer than 271 new exhibitors (from 36 countries) throughout the show.
Over the years, Metstrade has also steadily expanded in scope – not just size – by adding networking, educational and social events to the mix. Industry professionals are now welcomed to the annual Breakfast Briefing and DAME Design Awards, the I-nnovationLab stage events, Boat Builder Awards for Business Achievement, Superyacht Forum, NMEA education seminars and more.
Marina professionals played their part. To complement the MYP exhibition floor, PIANC RecCom, the Recreational Navigation Commission of the World Association of Waterborne Navigation Infrastructure, hosted a two-day Marina Design Training Programme (read more on p. 43) and also presented its annual
Jack Nichol Marina Design Award (MEDA) to Marina di Stabia, Italy, during the MYP’s Waterfront Drinks event.
The Global Marina Institute (GMI), which oversees the training, certification and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities of the Marina Industries Association and British Marine, returned to Metstrade for a second year to host a half-day seminar for certified marina managers, operators and professionals, and selected guests. A variety of hot topics was discussed.
On the show floor, the MYP, with its 70 exhibitors, saw a healthy level of quality visitors. Marina World –media partner for the MYP - enjoyed its highest level of visitors to date –from Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas. Others, such as Mark Coy of US-based Den Hartog Industries were swift to note the international flavour. “Our ninth Metstrade was very productive as we visited with numerous potential customers throughout Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia,” he said.
While float manufacturer Den Hartog is a long-established exhibitor, Canadian
PIANC chairman, Esteban Biondi (right), presents Salvatore La Mura, sales manager of Marina di Stabia, with the MEDA. In accepting the prestigious award, La Mura recognised the late Marcello Conti of Studio di Ingegneria Conti e Associati (past president of PIANC RecCom 2004-2008) as instrumental in the project design and completion.
newcomer Thruflow – a specialist in pontoon decking – was in prime position to give a truly fresh perspective. “It was our first time attending Metstrade and we weren’t sure what to expect in terms of both quantity and quality of leads,” said Sara LaBlance, marketing and western sales manager. “The MYP provided us with a steady stream of serious interest from qualified leads. We were also able to successfully interact with potential partners, who were exhibiting in close proximity to our stand location. For Thruflow, Europe is a fairly new market, so we were looking for a variety of different kinds of customers, as well as distribution, warehousing and sales representatives in this new region. We are confident that the connections made at Metstrade will allow us to fulfil all of these needs.”
Robert Brown, ASAR (USA), Lina Odhe, SF Marina (Sweden), Martin Plainer, DualDocker (Austria), Lorenzo Isalberti, Ingemar (Italy), Ted Waring, Maricer (UK), Kristian Räme, Marinetek (Finland) and many others reported back positively. Ramon van Asselt, Orsta Breakwater, the Netherlands, summed up the show as “always the first and foremost show on our list.” He confirmed that the company had already booked for 2020, adding “besides meeting new clients and doing business, it is the best time of the year to meet up with colleagues and see what’s happening in the business. People always love coming to Amsterdam for a couple of days.”
FLOATING STRUCTURES
Pioneering solar plant captures reflections from snow and water
The very first large high altitude floating solar park in the Alps has been completed. Poralu Marine took charge of the design, engineering, construction and installation of the entire floating structure upon which the solar panels are positioned.
The project site – Lac des Toules –an artificial lake at an altitude of 1,810m (5,938ft) in the town of Bourg-SaintPierre in Switzerland – was selected by Romande Energie SA with a view to facilitating and accelerating the country’s energy revolution.
Poralu started preliminary studies six years ago to determine the most viable installation process for the pioneering power plant. For the overall project the team had to consider extreme temperatures, down to -30°C (-22°F), anticipate the weight of the snow on the solar panels, assess how much hold the ice would have, and take winds up to 120km/hr (74.5mi/hr) into account. The installation is designed to support 60cm (24in) of ice on the lake and 50cm (20in) of snow.
The floating structures are constructed of aluminium alloy and the floats, which were manufactured by Poralu subsidiary Rotax, are made from high density polyethylene. Romande Energie assembled the photovoltaic panels on the structures prior to installing them on the lake. The structure requires only minimal tie-down, is weighted, and
adapts itself to the level of the water.
The plant, which was up and running by November 2019, will be used to validate the technical and financial feasibility of a larger floating solar park which could cover 35% of the lake’s surface. This structure would have 67,000m² (721,182ft²) of solar panels – the existing trial plant has 2,240m² (24,111ft²). The full size project would also be attached to around 1,000 floats anchored to the banks.
The existing structure is expected to generate over 800,000 kWh of electricity per year; the annual consumption of around 220 households. The full plant should produce over 22 million kWh, which is up to 50% more than a park with the same dimensions on land. This is down to the reflection of light on snow. As the solar panels are bifacial and transparent, light passes through them enabling them to capture light reflections from both the water and the snow.
Activities afloat in Copenhagen’s old port
The City of Copenhagen is transforming the old port area of Nordhavn into a special social hub with a firm focus on access to the water. A key element of the project is a floating activity centre, designed by Danish architects Spektrum Arkitekter with a maritime heritage theme.
By rethinking and reinterpreting the traditional wooden boathouse, the designers have succeeded in creating a modern-day variant built on SF Marina floating concrete pontoons. Two clusters of wooden buildings, with large glazed sections, unobtrusively merge the indoor and outdoor spaces. Set against the pier, the buildings recreate a bygone harbour setting, and wooden decking - which is open to the public - runs between the buildings and the water. SF pontoons make the centre
an environmentally conscious flexible asset. “Concrete pontoons are at the heart of SF Marina,” explains SF Marina chief executive Michael Sigvardsson. “With minimal interference with water circulation and fish migration, they enable marinas, and special structures like the activity centre, to be developed almost anywhere. They also benefit from a low profile, bringing visitors as close to the water and the elements as possible, and they can easily be reconfigured into new layouts should the need arise.”
Pedestrian swing bridge links canal banks
Walcon Marine has designed and built a floating swing bridge linking the banks of the ancient Canal de Ponente in the Italian city of Rimini.
Measuring 36m (18ft) in length, the structure comprises three heavy duty System 21 pontoons, each of which is 3m (10ft) wide. These are supported by five large floats giving a live load of at least 300kg/m² (0.33ton/ft²) and are timber decked using Siberian larch.
Purely designed for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, the bridge is accessed via a system of articulated gangways that allows easy passage for those with restricted mobility.
Held in place at each end by a hinged guide around a steel pile driven into the canal bed, the bridge can be detached from either bank and swung open to lie alongside the opposite bank if needed.
The floating bridge is part of a wider project to redevelop the area around the Ponte di Tiberio basin with the intention of making it the centre of the city’s cultural scene.
TRAINING, EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION
Exploring new ways to be useful to the marina community
by Esteban Biondi
In pursuit of its vision and strategic objectives, the Recreational Navigation Commission of PIANC (RecCom) is involved in various activities that support training and education in marina design.
As chairman of RecCom, I am building on a long PIANC tradition and working to expand the achievements of my predecessors, leading our Commission and bringing together a wider network of likeminded supporters. Ultimately, as professionals, we aspire to be useful members of the marina community.
This article discusses our plans and activities, but is also an open invitation to participate in our association.
MDTP at Metstrade
On 19th-20th November 2019 PIANC held its first marina design course at Metstrade.
The Recreational Navigation Commission (RecCom) of PIANC organised the course, which was hosted by RAI Amsterdam as part of the activities of the Marina and Yard Pavilion (MYP) and sponsored by Poralu Marine. The event attracted 24 participants and four instructors from four continents.
In attendance was a blend of senior marina professionals, engineers, consultants, architects, suppliers and other industry representatives. Presenters were RecCom members:
Elio Ciralli (past chairman of RecCom and founder of the Marina Design and Training Programme [MDTP]), Oscar Siches (member of RecCom representing ICOMIA), Claudio Fassardi (member of RecCom and chairman of one of its Working Groups), and myself. Because we had a significant number of senior marina industry participants, I would argue that the gathering became more of an industry dialogue hosted by PIANC, as opposed to a simple ‘course’.
The course is part of PIANC’s Marina Design Training Programme (MDTP), which was created about five years ago. This was the first time that MDTP had been held at a major marina industry event and allowed RecCom to advance its vision to be relevant and useful, serving the marina community and its professionals.
The experience reveals that there is genuine demand for quality events that focus on advanced discussions on marina planning and design. Interest was very strong and we had to make some space adjustments to accept a couple of late registrations. Feedback from participants was very positive. For
Attendees and presenters at the PIANC marina design course, held at Metstrade, Amsterdam last November.
example, all respondents surveyed said that they would recommend the programme (none responded ‘maybe’). Martinho Fortunato CMM, chairman of the ICOMIA Marinas Group, said the course was a great opportunity to refresh knowledge on the design of marinas and also to get to know more about megayacht marina design. “It is, for sure, a course I recommend for any marina professional in the world,” he commented. He also noted that by holding the course at Metstrade, the biggest leisure marine equipment trade show in the world, participants could make the most of both events while taking just a few days out of the office.
The programme structure maintains the MDTP approach of ‘professionals to professionals’ and seeks to provide ample opportunities for participant interaction.
The course covered topics such as marina planning and design approach, engineering site analysis, non-engineering elements of marina design, other tools for integrated marina planning (market and economic analysis), waterfront redevelopment, engineering design, sustainable marina planning, and hidden elements when planning superyacht marinas. We are also discussing adjustments based on participant’s feedback, which may result in deeper focus on selected topics and case studies, which would vary from year to year.
Based on these results, we may have found a refreshed model for the MDTP one-day programme. It is financially sustainable, meets RecCom strategic goals, and serves the continuous professional development of the professionals of our industry.
PIANC at IMBC
PIANC RecCom is also exploring new collaboration initiatives with the US-based Association of Marina Industries (AMI). PIANC RecCom and the US National Section joined forces to support AMI’s Marina Design and Engineering track for the International Marina & Boatyard Conference (IMBC) programme. IMBC is held annually in the USA.
PIANC RecCom supported the content committee for the 2020 event
TRAINING, EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION
(14th-16th January, Fort Lauderdale, Florida) to shape the core Marina Design and Engineering track. Working with a significant number of topic submittals, we proposed thematic groupings for dynamic discussions, added invited speakers to discuss ‘Engineering with Nature’ programme experience, and will be moderating an open discussion round table.
Due to the strong relationship between PIANCUSA and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), we also hope to provide new dialogue opportunities between the marina industry and USACE’s ‘Engineering with Nature’ (EwN) programme. EwN provides an innovative approach to the sustainable design of waterfront development and navigation infrastructure. It is readily applicable to the conditions in the US but complements PIANC’s ‘Working with Nature’ initiative at an international scale as they are both based on substantially the same principles.
coordination with PIANC Australia/New Zealand National Section, PIANC was present institutionally for the first time at the Marinas19 event. RecCom also organised outreach activities to the local marina community during PIANC’s Annual General Assemblies in Panama
training is limited to on-the-job training and some conferences, PIANC’s Recreational Navigation Commission (RecCom) created the Marina Designer Training Programme (MDTP) less than a decade ago. In the first five years since the first MDTP, RecCom experimented with various formats, including an intensive one-week long course (2013) and various one-day short courses attached to PIANC conferences (2014 and 2015).
After this experience, RecCom decided to focus on developing oneday courses (organised alongside conferences or directly by the Commission) and offering specialist long courses at the request of specific partners.
This PIANC outreach took a couple of years to mature, but I am confident that it will grow organically as many professionals involved with PIANC routinely attend IMBC. While in the past they did not talk about PIANC, now we are setting the stage for new institutional presence and PIANC activities. For example, we are planning to recognise PIANC members who take part in this conference and facilitate input from the marina industry representatives attending PIANC working groups and other initiatives. Professional development and networking merge seamlessly in these types of events.
I have observed similar patterns in other countries with well developed PIANC National Sections and strong marina industry associations. There are professionals, members of PIANC participating marina industry association activities, but there are still insufficient synergies. This can seem disappointing or an opportunity. So, we are considering it an opportunity.
Thanks to our great friends in the ICOMIA Marinas Group, PIANC RecCom had a specific institutional presence at the World Marinas Conference in Athens in 2018. Through
and Kobe. We had the invaluable support of the Japan Marina and Beach Association for the event in Kobe this year and of the Marinas and Yachts Commission of the Panama Maritime Chamber for the event in Panama. In both cases, there was a professional training component to the institutional event.
We intend to continue looking for opportunities for collaboration with PIANC sister associations - the Global Marina Institute (GMI), ICOMIA, The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA) and the Association of Marina Industries (AMI) - and with any other groups with common interests.
What is PIANC?
PIANC is a 135-year old professional organisation dedicated to navigation infrastructure. It has four technical commissions, focused on maritime ports, inland navigation, environment and recreational navigation. The core business of PIANC is the development of Working Group reports; technical documents prepared by ad hoc groups of experts to address issues of professional interest. In addition to the use of these documents for education and training, PIANC routinely organises technical conferences and seminars.
The Marina Design Training Programme (MDTP)
Recognising that there is no formal education in marina design, and
By organising an MDTP at Metstrade, PIANC has initiated a strong cooperation with one of the major industry events.
RecCom vision and mission
Our vision is to ‘be relevant and useful, serve the marina community and its professionals, worldwide’. Our mission includes ‘providing expert guidance and technical information through high-quality technical reports and by connecting the international recreational navigation infrastructure and marina community through a variety of products and events’. RecCom ‘develops technical knowledge and guidance to advance the sustainable development and use of recreational navigation infrastructure to support world and national economies, our communities’. We promote excellence in sustainable planning, design, construction, operation and management of marinas and recreational navigation infrastructure. All these dry phrases come to life through the activities that we are promoting in pursuit of a larger, better and more sustainable boating industry, continuously exploring new ways to be useful to our marina community.
For further information on PIANC RecCom go to www.pianc.org or e: reccom@pianc.org
Esteban L. Biondi is chairman of the Recreational Navigation Commission of PIANC and associate principal at Applied Technology & Management.
Esteban Biondi presents to delegates during the two-day design course in Amsterdam.
In the November/December edition of Marina World, the importance and benefits of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) were outlined. CPD specialist Vivian Kloosterman was quoted as saying that at the core of CPD ‘is a personal responsibility for professionals to keep their knowledge and skills current so they can deliver the high quality of service that safeguards the public and meets the expectations of customers’.
With the increasing focus in the marina industry on customer service and productivity improvements to facilities, systems and services, it is critical that senior marina personnel stay ‘ahead of the game’. The gateway to CPD in the marina industry is through certification: most commonly as a Certified Marina Manager (CMM) or Certified Marina Professional (CMP). In some parts of the world there is another recognised certification; the Certified Marina Operator (CMO). To maintain one’s active status as a CMM, CMP or CMO there is an annual requirement to obtain a minimum number of CPD points based on hours devoted to various types of learning. This requirement provides a strong incentive for certified members to acquire new knowledge and skills, and maintain their valued active certification status.
Certification across the globe is administered by three industry organisations: the Association of Marina Industries (AMI), which delivers training and certification including CPD through its subsidiary the International Marina Institute (IMI); British Marine (BM); and the Marina Industries Association (MIA). The latter two come together under the umbrella of the Global Marina Institute (GMI), which oversees their training, certification and CPD activities.
The CMM, CMP and CMO requirements are very similar whether delivered through IMI or GMI. The core pre-requisite is to have completed the five-day Advanced Marina Management (AMM) course. Once applicants have completed the AMM, they need to have had a minimum of five years management experience
Certified members attending the GMI seminar at Metstrade came from around the world to network and discuss topical issues.
at a marina with at least 100 boat storage spaces or $1million turnover. In applying for certification, candidates must provide referees and evidence of responsibility for nine management functions including budgets, facilities and staff.
Both IMI and MIA deliver CMO. The key difference from CMM is the CMO’s level of operation at the marina. This certification is for those at smaller marinas with at least 50 berths/slips or $500,000 turnover. CMO is also available to marina assistants at larger marinas or similar but not full-charge managers.
CMP was established by GMI in 2011 to recognise and encourage CPD by senior personnel in the marina industry who are not directly managing marinas. Typically, CMPs are yacht club general managers, owners or senior managers of marina equipment companies, or marina consultants. Applicants must have a minimum of seven years managerial experience with the last five years in the marina related industry up until the time of the application. They must have also completed the AMM within the past two years.
AMI and GMI share a central register (managed by AMI) of over 400 certified members. Each new certified member is given a sequential number. AMI, BM and MIA are placing increasing importance on the CPD component of certification. At Metstrade Amsterdam last November, for example, the GMI organised a certified members’ half-day seminar, which covered topics such as recycling and handling abandoned boats (see Products & Services p.53), superyachts, and marina design for special needs.
Delegates from Turkey, Montenegro, Greece, Australia, the USA, Holland, Belgium, France, Ireland, the UAE, Italy, Cyprus, Croatia and the UK attended the session, all keen to listen and share knowledge.
AUSTRALIA
DOHA, QATAR
TRAINING, EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION
The value of marina certification
by Ulrich Heinemann
Certification is by definition the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, a person or a company. This certification is often, but not always, issued by means of review, assessment or auditing by a party independent of the subject to be certified, which applies recognised standards for assessment. Finally, compliance with a standard provides information about the quality of the object, person or company.
Most consumers are familiar with such certifications for hotels and camping sites for example. Quality certifications are also known for wines and other alimentary products.
The level of quality can be controlled and hopefully maintained or, even better, increased over time by means of cyclically repeated inspections. Does certification make sense for marinas?
Who can certify?
In principle, any company independent from the marina that has made a name for itself on the market and follows a controlled quality system (e.g. EN 45011) can certify.
Certainly. Because customers have specific expectations regarding the quality of the marina and want to see them fulfilled. If they are disappointed, they will probably look for another harbour that meets their quality requirements.
For small and medium-sized businesses, standards can also help to build customer confidence and reduce costs in all areas of the business.
Are there any recognised standards?
Yes, there are. The International Standard Organisation (ISO), based in Geneva, Switzerland, has developed various standards for marinas. A technical committee (TC 228) of the ISO has developed three standards for harbours capable of accommodating boats and yachts up to 30m (98ft) in length in the internationally staffed Working Group 8 (WG 8). These are:
• ISO 13687-1 “Tourism and related services – Yacht harbours – Part 1 Minimum requirements for basic service level harbours”
• ISO 13687-2 “Tourism and related services – Yacht harbours – Part 2 Minimum requirements for intermediate service level harbours”
• ISO 13687-3 “Tourism and related services – Yacht harbours – Part 3 Minimum requirements for high service level harbours”
In addition, a standard for harbours capable of accommodating large
yachts is nearing completion. This is:
• ISO/FDIS 21406 “Tourism and related services - Yacht harbours - Essential requirements for luxury harbours”
Two further standards are envisaged for: drystacks; and harbours which are essentially designed for charter companies.
All of the above are aimed at the quality of service of the marinas, as their title suggests.
What is the detailed content?
The following aspects are evaluated in detail at different levels:
• General Requirements
• Environment
• Safety Requirements
• Signage
• Services
• Maintenance and Cleaning
• Security
Each of the above points is further subdivided into different areas in more detail.
Are there other standards for service quality?
Yes, there are. These are mainly offered by different organisations that work to guidelines that have more national character and have been developed by them over the years. These organisations certify their own members.
At this point it is worth mentioning, for example, the International Marine Certification Institute (IMCI), based in Brussels, which, as an institute notified to the EU, has been known as the market leader in CE certification of boats, yachts and their components for over 25 years. In its subsidiary branch, IMCI has developed a transparent certification system for marinas based on the ISO 13687 standard series. The system will soon be further developed with regard to ISO 21406 as soon as the standard has been published. IMCI has a network of about 50 inspectors in more than 20 countries.
What is the certification process?
An expert of the certifier inspects the marina with a checklist in hand and assesses the quality of the marina with regard to each individual aspect. A level is accorded dependent on quality and a certificate is issued.
What are the costs?
They’re low - about the cost of a oneyear berth for a medium-sized yacht typical for the marina.
Is the certification valid forever?
Certainly not. It must be repeated every three years. Only in this way can the service quality level of a marina be maintained or even improved.
Is certification a legal obligation?
Not at all. It is completely voluntary and is an excellent opportunity for the marina industry to further improve its service quality in small and efficient steps.
Ulrich Heinemann is managing director of the International Marine Certification Institute – www.imci.org
Proudly flying its certification flag, Marina Port de Mallorca has IMCI 5 star rating.
TRAINING, EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION
First in Thailand for environmental accreditation
Royal Phuket Marina has achieved accreditation under the International Clean Marina programme. It is the first in Thailand to achieve this recognition.
Clean Marina accreditation, which is administered by the Marina Industries Association (MIA), is based on a site assessment by an independent auditor using a 103 point checklist developed by industry and government specialists in Australia. The audit includes inspections of mechanical activities, boat maintenance and storage, fuelling,
facility and waste management, workshop, risk management and emergency planning, and boater education. A detailed written report is provided to the marina following the site audit.
MIA chairman, Andrew Chapman, said the accreditation of Royal Phuket Marina is very significant. “As the
Gold Anchor heads for North America
The Marine Recreation Association (MRA) of the USA and the Australia-based Marina Industries Association (MIA) have together launched the Global Gold Anchor programme in North America.
Gold Anchor was first developed in the UK in 1988 by The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA). In 2009, the MIA launched its own programme and in 2013 the two associations set up a single Global Gold Anchor programme.
Two marinas in CaliforniaWestpoint Harbor Marina (San Francisco) and Safe Harbor Cabrillo Isle (San Diego) - have become the first to participate. Both are now Gold Anchor accredited marinas and half a dozen more are in line for assessment. Over the next two years, a steady stream of marinas is expected to apply for certification and a pool of trained assessors will be established to deliver the programme.
MIA president Andrew Chapman described the collaboration as a particularly exciting development for
the global industry. “MIA and TYHA are very pleased to have MRA providing the structure to expand the programme into the US and beyond. MIA will be working closely with MRA and participating members over the coming two years to ensure the programme is successfully rolled out and fully aligned with the global programme that is established across 27 countries.”
MRA president Scott Robertson said in November 2019 that the recent MRA Educational and Trade Conference in La Jolla, California had provided an excellent platform to promote Gold Anchor. “We have both coastal and inland marinas wishing to participate,” he revealed. “MRA recognises the many industry development and promotional benefits the Gold Anchor programme can deliver for our industry.”
recreational boating industry matures and continues to grow strongly in this region of Asia it is vital that high environmental standards and practices become the norm. If this were not the case, the quality of the boating experience would diminish over time and industry growth suffer.”
Royal Phuket also continues to hold Global Gold Anchor accreditation as a 5 Gold Anchor marina.
New chair at GMI
Tony Browne CMM (left), marina director at Porto Montenegro Marina, has been appointed the new chairman of the Global Marina Institute (GMI). He takes over the role from John Hogan CMP (right), managing director of Superior Jetties, Australia.
GMI is responsible for overseeing the marina education, training and certification that is administered globally via the Australia-based Marina Industries Association (MIA) and UKbased British Marine (BM).
Under Hogan’s three-year leadership much has been achieved, including re-establishing cooperation with the Association of Marina Industries (AMI) in the USA; reviewing and upgrading GMI course content; and cementing the Certified Marina Professional (CMP) as a recognised and valued certification.
“GMI has an important role to build our industry professionalism and it has been a very rewarding three years,” Hogan commented. Tony Browne thanked Hogan for his work and said he looked forward to increasing the awareness and perceived value of GMI courses and the CMM and CMP certifications.
Features and Bene ts
Routes easily along or underneath docks. The Nylon 12 outer jacket is UV stabilized and salt water resistant; no chase pipe required. Can be supplied in extra long continuous lengths: eliminating transition sumps on the dock. Additionally, a double containment exible oating dock connector is available.
For custom lengths of up to 1000 feet please contact factory.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Devising a future for end-of-life boats
The team at VY Nieuwpoort describes its battle to reduce the considerable marina costs generated by abandoned boats and seek a circular-economy solution for waste materials.
We are the Vlaamse Yachthaven Nieuwpoort, a Belgian coastal marina based on the Yzer estuary. We manage about 1,000 wet berths with hard-standing space for 600 boats. Together with our neighbouring clubs, Nieuwpoort accounts for about 2,000 wet berths; roughly half of the total capacity on the Belgian
coast. Consequently, our boatyard is fully-booked every winter, but from around 2014, we started to notice an increasing number of small boats remaining for longer than just one winter and starting to look abandoned. This is when we decided that we needed to take action.
Our first move was trying to contact the owners to discuss what to do with the boat, facilitating the means to sell their vessel for a reasonable price. This was occasionally an impossible task when owners were either unreachable or simply refused to address the issue. We eventually saw the need to adapt our marina rules and regulations in order to allow us to legally assume the right to handle boats under certain reasonable conditions. It was a new and complicated process as we had our members’ interests at heart but
The circular economy: an abandoned boat (above) is scrapped and shredded to create new material.
also couldn’t afford to disregard the considerable safety risks, rising costs and unsightly aspect of these longabandoned vessels.
With some boats needing scrapping, we started to work on a budget for this service so that we could also offer it to members. In the meantime, we also established an incremental fee system
the auction - creating a final income of just €845 given the preparation cost for the auction (€1,433) and a total debt of these boats to the marina of €13,370. After the auction, seven boats, including two which were paid for, were scrapped. The income of the two boats was €2,100, the cost of the scrapping for the boats was €9,760 and the total outstanding debt of these boats to the marina was €6,545.
As the numbers indicate, this isn’t a profitable business, but on the other hand we now have 20 extra places for boats on the hard that use the crane service.
Beyond scrapping, we are most motivated to find a recycling solution for polyester. The last two boats to be scrapped were brought to a shredder
for boats staying longer than a year on the hard.
Together with Flanders Circular, we launched a project entitled ‘a future for end-of-life boats’. This first involved assessing the number of abandoned yachts in marinas and service companies on the Flemish coast. We then set up an auction at our boat show to sell some of the abandoned yachts, scrapping those that couldn’t be sold.
There were 18 boats with outstanding debts - 13 of which were sold during
and, with this shredded material, a company will make a beam which we hopefully can use in the marina. If this project succeeds, we can make a complete environmental circle.
‘A future for end-of-life boats: A project from Flanders Circular and the Flemish Marina Nieuwpoort (Vlaamse Yachthaven Nieuwpoort)’ –is reproduced from the TransEurope Marinas website: www.transeuropemarinas.com
Marina Maintenance Solutions
Walvis Bay (Namibia)
Best-look fenders and covers
Walcon Marine has worked with a leading marina operator to develop new-style fenders and duct covers.
New corner fenders (above right) have been introduced primarily, but not exclusively, to cater for larger boats. Made from rotary moulded plastic, they are available in two size options (both larger than current standard versions) and fit over the top of the decking for complete protection. This also makes them more visible as well as ensuring a snug and secure fit. Walcon is now offering these as its standard option for finger and hammerhead pontoons.
The company has utilised the same material for a 1m long lateral fender (above left) for its widely used System 2000 pontoons. These are primarily intended for use as stern or bow fenders and are easy to fit using the existing slot built into all System 2000 units. The product was developed for motorboats with bathing platforms that are moored stern-to but is suited to other applications.
The new duct cover (below) is manufactured from GRP and, like
the fenders, is not only a practical improvement on current products but improves the overall appearance of the pontoons. Customers can choose from a range of colours and a variety of widths, and expect to undertake minimal maintenance tasks as the duct is subject to neither oxidisation nor corrosion. A gritted surface offers non-slip properties. Each duct has a projected lifespan of 25 years and is available for retrofit.
“We have introduced these products in response to marina operators looking for ways to upgrade the facilities that they offer their customers in visually distinctive ways,” says Walcon managing director James Walters. “While berthing facilities are very much practical structures where safety, durability and ease-of-use always come first, if we can work with their operators to make them pleasing to the eye in ways that give their end users added pleasure and a sense of pride in where they keep their boats, so much the better.”
E: sales@walconmarine.com
Voice recognition MMS
UK-based Havenstar, well known for its innovative approach to marina management software (MMS), has launched another industry first; a voice recognition version of Havenstar MMS. The prototype was announced in November 2019 and will be commercially available this year.
Managing director, Kevin Morgan, explains the rationale behind the launch: “Havenstar is leading the way in marina management software. The exciting introduction of voice recognition gives marina professionals the best mobile and on-demand functionality available today. It confirms our commitment to develop a solution that not only offers the deepest, widest scope but also allows us to adopt future technologies as they emerge.”
Havenstar MMS already offers mobile capabilities with its customer web portal and app solutions. The addition of Artificial Intelligence (AI) voice recognition further extends its flexibility, enabling routine actions to be completed on the move with speed and immediacy.
Voice recognition will further improve the user experience marina managers are able to offer their customers. It will enhance staff’s ability to check availability, report damage and enable live updates, away from the desk and in all weather conditions.
The technology, which effortlessly handles different accents, is fully accessible to people with any level of computer literacy or limited physical dexterity. It extends the use of technology that is already familiar to users in everyday life and applies it to their professional activities to improve accuracy and save time.
Havenstar voice recognition requires no additional hardware purchase as it works on any iOS device. The company looks forward to everything 2020 will bring – release of an Alexa skill, an android version and off-line functionality. E: info@havenstar.com
Represented in over 40 countries www. ovac.es
Takingthe toGreenapproach the VacuumproblemBlackwater seweragesystems are ideal for use in marinas Theandportsofanysize.
Suitableforboatsanddocksofanysize EaseDiscreet,smalldiameterpipework of installation No odour
Quantum dominates sales to the East
Rolec Global Marina Services enjoyed its best year to date in Middle East markets in 2019, supplying services to some of the most prestigious new marinas.
The lavish Intercontinental Hotel Marina Abu Dhabi is now equipped with the progressively popular Quantum pedestal for its 190+ berths. Quantums were also installed in Sheikh Jaber’s southern and northern islands, and a services contract completed for the manmade Deira Islands project; six marinas with capacity to berth 600 boats.
Other projects were finalised at Darren Marina, Port Fujairah, Abu Tig Marina (extension), Four Seasons Resort Dubai, Sharjah Aquarium, Shore Side Marina, Island Marina and Ladies Marina among others. Quantum also secured an ever stronger following in Australia, with installations at Whyalla Marina and Emu Point, and in Southeast Asia/Far East. Hong Kong’s established Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club (above) appointed Rolec to supply Quantums,
the BerthMaster monitoring system and Combi LED deck lighting. And over 170 Quantums and additional Superyacht Megamaster units were supplied to award-winning One 15 Marina in Singapore. The marina operator also opted for BerthMaster online so that it can easily monitor and manage the entire marina’s electricity and water supplies, and customers can pay for services simply and safely online.
Rolec sales engineer, Steve King, is delighted with the company’s great success in Asia Pacific markets, and emphasises the appeal of the Quantum product. “Our Quantum range is economical yet innovative, providing a powerful blend of versatility and design, and also offering a unique strength and stability seldom seen on other marina service pedestals,” he says. E: rolec@rolecserv.co.uk
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Clean-up cat with electric motor drive
UK-based Water Witch has launched an allelectric drive for its shallow draft Versi-Cat debris collection craft (below). This further enhances its flexibility as a cost-effective, efficient solution for waterway maintenance and clearance.
The propulsion system for the boat consists of the Torqeedo Cruise 10 outboard motor and two Torqeedo Power 48 lithium-ion batteries. A cockpit control panel gives the operator an ata-glance view of system status, including range at current speed.
Water Witch director, Jackie Caddick, comments: “The VersiCat litter boat prevents plastics from entering our oceans and landing on our beaches, but it also addresses the very real issue of climate change by reducing our carbon footprint and environmental impact. It’s a clean, green, safe, zeroemission solution with low maintenance and minimal operating costs.”
The outboard configuration of the Torqeedo enables Water Witch to offer the Cruise 10 system as
a direct replacement to its standard four stroke engine power option. This makes for lower installation costs, with very little modification required to the boat design. Due to the superior battery technology, with 70% lower volume and weight than comparable batteries, trim and stability are not affected and overall vessel weight is kept low for easy shipping and trailering.
Although the VersiCat’s main function is retrieving plastic litter, debris and aquatic vegetation, the design also includes a range of pods that sit between the hulls. It is extremely adaptable for a huge range of applications, including fast response pollution control, mobile pump-out and general maintenance support.
E: sales@waterwitch.com
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Index to Advertisers
ASAR/GCM Safe Harbour
Drystacks, USA 24
Applied Technology & Management, USA 42
Bellingham Marine, USA 41
Boat Lift, Italy 20
Camper & Nicholsons Marinas, UK 12
Capria, Argentina 35
Conolift by Kropf Industrial, Canada 42
Den Hartog Industries, USA 36
DoubleTrac by OmegaFlex, USA 51
Dual Docker, Austria 52
Dura Composites, UK 46
Eaton Marina Power & Lighting, USA 14
Flovac, Spain 56
GH Cranes & Components, Spain 6
Gigieffe, Italy 28
Golden Manufacturing, USA 45
Havenstar, UK 26
Horizon Marina, China 48
Hostar Marine Transport, USA 38
HydroHoist, USA 48
IMCI, Belgium 40
IWMC, Dubai 59
Ingemar, Italy 16
Inland & Coastal Marinas, Ireland 28
Lindley, Portugal 54
Livart Marine, China 38
Lumberock Premium
Decking, USA 38
Marex, Croatia 54
Marina Master by IRM, Slovenia 52
Marina Projects, UK 29
Marina World
Suppliers & Services, UK 23
MarinaGo by Scribble Software, USA 36
Marinaquip, New Zealand 56
Marine Travelift, USA 32
Marinetek, Finland 4
Martini Alfredo, Italy 46
Metstrade, Netherlands 18
Pacsoft, New Zealand 54
Poralu Marine, France 30 & 31
Port Safety, Denmark 40
Rolec Services, UK 10
Ronautica, Spain 32
Roodberg - a brand of Frisian Industries, Netherlands 26
SF Marina System, Sweden 2
Seaflex, Sweden 8
Sublift, Sweden 40
Superior Jetties, Australia 56
Twinwood by Soprefa, Portugal 52
Walcon Marine, UK 22
Waterwitch, UK 54
Wiggins Lift Co, USA 60
SF launches its widest breakwater
The all-new 10m (33ft) wide SF Marina BW1000 (above) is now in production at SF Marina’s facility in Sweden ready for despatch to all locations worldwide.
A giant construction, BW1000 is 3m (10ft) high and can be assembled into unlimited lengths. It has a solid cast design, weighs 250 tonnes and can be moored using heavy chain and concrete anchors or steel piles.
“The SF Marina BW1000 is our first really wide floating breakwater,” explains SF Marina chief executive Michael Sigvardsson. “Everything about it has been designed and
engineered with endurance in mind. As a world-renowned expert in the development of new and existing marinas, SF Marina is determined to also protect locations exposed to long, large waves.”
The new breakwater will make its first public appearance at the new Kajen Marina in Skärhamn on the west coast of Sweden in March.
E: info@sfmarina.com
Scribble adds cloudbased reporting portal
Scribble Software has released MarinaGo Office Reporting, the next phase of its MarinaGo Office cloud-based management solution for the marina industry.
The MarinaGo Office Suite is a multi-phase project designed to completely manage all aspects of marinas. The new release expands the feature set to include a cloud-based reporting portal providing in-depth business reporting capability, as well as a true ad hoc reporting engine. Advanced features include the ability to select individual components, such as templates, fields, filters, groupings and totals, as well as access multiple
properties within an organisation.
“We have continued to develop and expand the functionality of the MarinaGo Office Suite to include a full-featured enterprise level reporting platform and are excited to release it to our customers,” says Vance Young, director of technology at Scribble. “[It] exemplifies our core philosophy of providing comprehensive solutions for the marina industry.”
