Despite interest rate hikes the marine industry sails on - MarineBusinessWorld Oceania newsletter
by Peter Rendle 15 Sep 15:00 PDT
Peters & May has reported an increase in shipments for the first half of 2022 © Peters & May
One indicator of the temperature of the marine industry is the international carriers. World-leading global Freight Forwarding specialists Peters & May has continued to strengthen during the first six months of 2022 despite market challenges caused by the ongoing impact of Covid and the conflict in Ukraine.
The Peters & May marine team, headquartered in the UK and represented by ten offices worldwide, has overseen just short of 1500 yacht shipments so far this year and its sales teams are already busy with requests coming in from clients, private individuals and charter companies for shipments in 2023.
Also looking forward to 2023, the Marina Industry Association has opened entries for its 2023 awards. Marinas and marine businesses are invited to enter the biennial Nautilus Marine Insurance Marina of the Year Awards which recognise excellence and leadership in the marina industry and sets new benchmarks for the industry. The prestigious awards provide finalists and winners with exceptional promotional and marketing opportunities.
The ten award categories are: Commercial Marina of the Year - Up to 140 boats (Australia), Commercial Marina of the Year - 140 plus boats (Australia), Club of the Year (Australia), International Marina of the Year, Boatyard of the Year - Up to 20 boats (Australia), Boatyard of the Year - 20 plus boats (Australia), Dry Stack Storage Facility of the Year (Australia), Community Support, BMT Environmental Award, and Industry Innovation.
Marinas and marine businesses in New Zealand, the Asia-Pacific and Middle East are eligible to enter four out of the ten award categories.
Meanwhile one major manufacturer has announced their awards for 2022. Recognised as the most prestigious and sought-after collection of exclusive titles, Stacer proudly announces its top performing dealers with the Dealer of the Year and Customer Service Excellence awards. Prized for outstanding performance including customer service and rapport, each dealer selected epitomises the Stacer essence of setting the marine standard by making boating accessible and approachable to every customer - no matter whether new into the industry or experienced.
There is only one crowned National Dealer of the Year, selected amongst the entire network of Stacer's 50 dealers, for next-to-none performance in all facets of their dealership including aptitude in helping a customer navigate through the buying process.
And news of an Australian designed support vessel has been received this week. Shadowcat, the leading developer of catamaran support yachts, announced this week that it has expanded its portfolio to include a fully bespoke monohull shadow vessel. The new concept, Shadowolf, is Shadowcat's first single-hulled support yacht and is available to meet the increasing demand for guest-level comfort and services. The vessel's new hybrid hull design focuses on passenger comfort and accommodation, while still enhancing adventures at sea.
Shadowolf perfectly supports a superyacht and is ideal for expanding options on multi-day excursions, voyages into more remote locations, and/or for chartering or research purposes. Designed by Shadowcat partners Incat Crowther and YCTS Ltd, the 69.2m Shadowolf offers an 11.5m beam and 3.25m draft, and will be built upon Incat Crowther's award-winning aluminium hull design, enabling some of the highest speeds and superior efficiency of any support yacht available on the market.
Appearances the Melbourne International Boat Show continue to be reported. The Yacht Sales Co is looking forward to the Melbourne show, which is being held at New Quay in Docklands. On display will be the Dufour 470, which has been acclaimed for its stunning design and high-performance thrills. Representatives of Absolute Yachts and Tesoro Yachts will be available for appointments, along with their Pre-Owned Brokerage Division.
And sailing regattas are now in full swing having suffered a two-year hiatus during the pandemic. The North Queensland regatta season continued with Nautilus Marine Insurance stepping up once again as a major supporter of the SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week held over 1-7 September. Now in its 15th year, the event is recognised as the grand finale of the North Queensland season of sailing regattas.
Following on from Hamilton Island Race Week, which Nautilus Marine Insurance is also proud to be partner of, the annual SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week is held on the waters of Cleveland Bay and kicked off with the Nautilus Marine Insurance Race Day.
Stay safe,
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com