Job vacancies are a new side effect of Covid - MarineBusinessWorld Oceania newsletter
by Peter Rendle 20 Jan 2022 14:00 PST
(L to R) Long term employee Peter Ferrari joins award winning apprentices Zoe De Pryck and Jesse Blackley at the unveiling © Maritimo
As the world hopes that the worst of the Covid experience is behind us and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, job vacancies are the next obstacle facing the industry. Two postings this week indicate that the increase in boating sales has resulted in an increased demand for workers.
For nearly 20 years Australian luxury motor yacht manufacturer Maritimo has been a brand synonymous with industry-leading design, engineering excellence, and exemplary level of build quality. Maritimo has built this long reputation as one of the industry's most iconic luxury motor yacht brands with a team of dedicated individuals who thrive on their attention to detail, craftsmanship, and willingness to strive to build the world's highest quality motor yachts.
Maritimo is welcoming up to 60 new craftspeople in the first half of this year, in order to meet the unprecedented demand of its heralded lineage of Australian-built long-range cruising motor yachts. With orders for Maritimo's yachts now stretching out deep into 2024, the Gold Coast-based builder is offering a highly rewarding world class working environment, built upon welcoming in like-minded, passionate, and dedicated craftspeople.
Another Australian company is on the hunt for passionate people who would love to work at Zhik. Multiple positions are now available at their Sydney HQ. It represents an opportunity for people to build a career with Australia's premier sailing brand.
Meanwhile technical developments continue across the whole spectrum of marine craft. While the following post pertains to a commercial vessel, often whatever happens in the commercial marine arena paves the way for developments in leisure boat production. Danfoss' Editron marine drivetrain system is powering the Southern Hemisphere's first fully-electric passenger ferry, after the East by West Ferries service officially launched the Ika Rere zero-emission vessel in Wellington, New Zealand.
Research by the New Zealand government has found that domestic ships such as ferries and freighters emit close to 300,000 tons of CO2 every year. In Wellington, nearly 50% of the city's emissions were produced from the transportation sector in 2020. With the local council committing to becoming a net-zero-carbon city by 2050, introducing alternative energy forms of transportation is crucial.
The 19-meter-long Ika Rere ferry can carry up to 132 passengers on journeys across Wellington Harbour at an operational speed of 20 knots. It has been designed and built to complete one return run of 25 kilometres before charging dockside at a rate of one megawatt for 15 minutes while passengers disembark and board. The ferry will be charged from a 300-kilowatt charger at its overnight berth during its first year of operation. It is anticipated that the Ika Rere ferry will save approximately 640 tons of CO2 annually compared to a similar-sized diesel alternative.
Similarly in Europe, Simrad Yachting and Venetian-boat builder Cantieri Nautici Vizianello have collaborated on innovation to create a new generation of water taxi that promises to revolutionize transport in the city of Venice and contribute to environmental sustainability. Working together, Simrad Yachting and Vizianello, a shipyard that is an historical institution of the Venetian lagoon and the Italian shipbuilding industry, have combined their skills to make the famous water limousines more performing, less impactful on the environment and therefore more suitable for navigation in the Serenissima.
After years of research, Cantieri Nautici Vizianello have offered an answer to a problem that has long affected the lagoon transport: the harmful emissions of diesel engines and noise pollution, finding a reliable partner in Simrad® electronics. Thanks to the collaboration of these two companies, the most famous of Vizianello's water limousines, Amore, chosen as an exclusive means of transport in the city of Venice by Hollywood stars, has been given a new life. This 9m craft - whose external lines remain faithful to the classic and elegant design of the mahogany taxi boats - has been equipped with a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system managed by the Simrad® Command integration system capable of monitoring both the endothermic engine and the electric one.
On the local market, it was only fitting for Eyachts to bring the world's largest day boat manufacturer to our shores down under. "Most sailors nowadays only take their boats out during the day for a nice twilight race or weekend sail with friends and family. Day-sailors have been picking up in the US and Europe, but we believe it has yet to take off here in Australia," says Eyachts Managing Director, Peter Hrones.
Saffier Yachts is known for their world-class daysailers since the '90s. The new generation Saffier 33 Life is built according to the latest high-tech construction using vacuum infused ISO fibreglass with 15mm hardcore foam. Fibreglass around the keel section is reinforced with roving to 25mm thickness. Five ribs are laminated in the keel section to transfer forces of keel loads and carbon in the bow and hull, with a carbon bowsprit giving her an LOA of 11 metres. Most models are offered with an electric pod engine or Yanmar diesel.
Electronics continue to develop and Garmin®, the world's largest marine electronics manufacturer, have announced Garmin Navionics+™ and premium Garmin Navionics Vision+™ for their chartplotters, the newest generation of marine cartography products from Garmin. Wherever mariners choose to plot their paradise, new Garmin cartography products offer an all-in-one mapping solution that integrates detail-rich inland and offshore content, as well as a variety of tools to support smarter and safer navigation.
At the same time Lowrance, a world-leader in fishing electronics since 1957, released a software update this month, which introduces the new Ghost 360 feature and new compatibility for NAC-2 and NAC-3 autopilots. The latest software update unlocks the exciting new feature of Ghost 360 for users of the Ghost® Trolling Motor with Active Imaging 3-in-1 nosecone, which offers anglers a high resolution 360-degree detailed image around their boats.
This new capability utilizes automatic steering rotation of the Ghost Trolling Motor, allowing anglers to pinpoint key structure and targets in a 360-degree view of the bottom and the ability to show both standing structure and structure that is laying on the bottom. This new feature is available on all Ghost compatible multi-function displays (MFD), which includes the Elite FS™, HDS Carbon and HDS LIVE™.
Six months into its acquisition by global technology leader Teledyne, Raymarine has reinforced its position as one of the world's leading marine-electronics brands. Raymarine sales are at record levels with sustained increases since the second quarter of 2020. "To say business is strong would be an understatement," says Jamie Dery, Vice President of the Americas for Raymarine. "As we ride this wave of unprecedented demand, we are laser-focused on continuing our upward trajectory by continuing to develop and invest in our team of experienced marine electronics professionals."
New power boat arrivals in Australia includes the Horizon FD75. An amalgam of firsts, the latest Horizon FD75 is the first of the entry-level Fast Displacement (FD) model to be built for Australian owners and as such the first to be delivered to the continent. This is the first Horizon build for the experienced owners, who selected the yard for its ability to customize the yacht to their standards - customizations that included the incorporation of the first "Skyline" or enclosed sky lounge configuration for the model.
Stay safe,
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com