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Largest superyacht in Australia berths in Port Stephens

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Australia’s Largest Superyacht Berth ‘Ready by December’

By George Bains

Construction is now well underway at Southport Yacht Club for a new 163-metre superyacht berth, which will become the largest in Australia. The berth is on track to be completed by December of this year, with interest from international superyachts already being registered for January 2021.

The 163-metre beth at Southport Yacht Club (SYC) is an integral part of the Queensland government’s Superyacht Strategy to become a major superyacht hub for the Asia-Pacific region by 2023. The development will cater to larger international yachts looking to head to the region to explore its inexhaustible land and seascapes, taking advantage of the new charter legislations which have opened up new possibilities for superyacht adventures.

Mark Riddell, Waterfront Manager of SYC, outlined the vision of this exciting project. “SYC commenced works on the new Superyacht berth on Monday 17th August, and we envisage to have this completed by December 2020,” said Riddell. “ It will be the largest Superyacht berth in Australia, fitted with enough power to supply the largest superyachts in the world.”

The new superyacht berth has been a meticulously planned project which extends to a development of the surrounding area, with landscaping of a new park to benefit all. “There will be a service road running the length of the berth for trucks and crane access, which will make provisioning easier ,” continued Mark Riddell. “The design of the new dock will ensure easy access to the yachts for maintenance, contractors and suppliers .”

Located on Queensland’s Gold Coast, the Southport Yacht Club is a popular destination for visiting superyachts, catering to every need of owners, guests, captains and crew. Along with Cairns , the Gold Coast is a leading homeport destination within Australia, with a wealth of world class refit facilities and enthralling activities to ensure superyachts are well cared for during their stay. More than its large, secure marina, SYC boasts absolute waterfront dining and phenomenal facilities for entertainment and events, which regularly welcome industry members from across Australia.

Its location along the eastern coastline between Sydney and Cairns makes Southport Yacht Club an inviting prospect for superyachts, especially those keen to uncover the gems of Brisbane and the Gold Coast. This is also a gateway to the majestic Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef region, an area of unparalleled natural splendour with incredible potential for unforgettable superyacht charters.

With this significant development underway, Australia’ s offering for international superyachts continues to grow. Southport Yacht Club aims to have the new 163m berth ready to welcome superyachts from December, and there are already enquiries being fielded for January. With an incredible range of diverse experiences in Australia, along with the newfound charter possibilities, the new berth will help Australia on its way to attracting the largest superyachts in the world.

"It will be the largest Superyacht berth in Australia, fitted with enough power to supply the largest superyachts in the world." Mark Riddell, Waterfront Manager of Southport Yacht Club

"It will be the largest Superyacht berth in Australia, fitted with enough power to supply the largest superyachts in the world."

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Marine Structures set to make waves nationally and internationally

Superior completes australia’s largest superyacht berth.

The award-winning team at Superior Jetties has just completed the largest superyacht berth in Australia, a genuine game-changer in the superyacht industry. At 163 metres (berthing edge of 153 metres) in length and 4.6 metres wide, the superyacht berth at the Southport Yacht Club on the Gold Coast has been engineered and designed to welcome and accommodate some of the world’s largest vessels.

A design workshop was undertaken with representatives including national industry professionals, local agencies and a client design team to ensure the structure will facilitate the requirements of 135-metre vessels as a first of its kind in the country.

Superior Jetties CEO, John Hogan explains the outstanding solution provided to the superyacht berthing market.

“The Superior Super Elite series reinforced 5-sided monolithic concrete pontoon is designed to meet the unique needs of these vessels. Larger vessels place more demands on the dock to service their needs, especially with wind loads. The high pontoon mass provides more stability and the pontoons cope better against environmental forces.”

With a high freeboard to suit large vessel requirements and an excessive deck loading allowance, the massive all concrete pontoons are designed with heavy-duty, hot dipped galvanized or composite reinforcement. The pontoon base has a fully welded PE base liner system and an innovative pontoon to pontoon connection system. The structure also allows good connectivity for super-sized components including large-sized pile guides, heavy-duty rubber D fenders and mooring bollards to suit commercial marina and superyacht requirements.

In conjunction with this, the new Superior Compression Coupling (SCC) is cast integrally to the pontoon and heavily reinforced to transfer the loads. The structure does not rely on through rods and walers for structural strength position and eliminates the need to ever tighten bolts.

Hogan adds, “the pontoon construction of the new superyacht berth allows vehicle and forklift access up to 6.1 tonnes with a gangway clearway width of 2700mm, an uninterrupted height and the ability to traverse vehicles at all tides at 5 km/hr onto the pontoon structure for operational, service and maintenance requirements.”

A heavy-duty 250mm diameter rubber fender is installed to the entirety of the berthing edge, and heavy-duty horn-shaped bollards coincide with the berthing requirements of the vessels envisaged to moor at the location. There are 24 bespoke fabricated steel piles of 730mm diameter with 800mm plastic sleeves and heavy-duty pile guides.

The facility includes a statement entrance with a security gate, fencing, signage, drop off area and an adjacent service lane inclusive of landside refuelling capabilities and crane access for heavy lifts when required.

Pedestal power includes up to 600A direct connect to facilitate the requirements of international vessels. The pontoon system has been designed in accordance with the QFES (Queensland Fire & Emergency Services) requirements for hydrants, fire hose reels, extinguishers and alarms to ensure berthed vessels are safely moored and complying with the most stringent marina standards in Australia.

Cat’s-eye lighting installed on the pontoons and gangway decks in addition to courtesy lighting on top of pedestals provides a clear and safe runway marking for night berthing, as well as an ambient and aesthetically pleasing dock environment for night-time activities.

This development completed in partnership with MGN Civil, will significantly drive business and welcome vessels previously unable to berth in Australian waters. With over 60 superyachts expected to visit the region for the 2032 Olympics being held in Brisbane, the demand for such facilities will continue to grow.

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Australian built superyacht largest at fort lauderdale international boat show.

Oct 28, 2021

All Australian-made superyacht 85m MY Bold, built by SilverYachts in Henderson in Western Australia, is the largest vessel in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) which opened this week in Florida. Launched in 2019 and currently the world’s longest aluminium motor yacht, Bold’s 8,000 nm maiden voyage from Perth in Western Australia across the Indian Ocean to Cala di Volpe in Italy took 21 days with only one fuel stop.

The previous largest superyacht manufactured in Australia is MY White Rabbit at 84m. Designed by One2three Naval Architects, an Australian naval architects’ firm and with external and internal styling by Australian designer Sam Sorgiovanni, MY White Rabbit was built by Echo Yachts, also based in Henderson.

Australia builds the largest, fastest and most efficient aluminium vessels in the world. With intelligent naval architecture design and lightweight materials, these vessels are up to 50% more efficient than traditional steel vessels, making them very competitive.  

Australia is also known for designing and building the best lightweight, fast ferries and companies like Austal and Incat add to Australia’s international shipbuilding reputation.  

Two other leading Australian luxury motor-yacht brands also have a significant presence at Fort Lauderdale. Global marine industry leader Riviera is premiering its new 645 SUV among a ten-model showcase at the world’s largest on-the-water boat show. It will be the first US outing for the Riviera 645 SUV, the largest and most sophisticated model in Riviera’s six-model SUV collection.

Leading Australian luxury motor yacht manufacturer Maritimo is also set to make headlines with the American launch of two exciting new models. The M55 and the S55 motor yachts featuring at the show are the most successful global launches ever for Maritimo.

David Good, CEO, AIMEX and Superyacht Australia, is attending the Fort Lauderdale show. “We are pleased to see such a strong Australian presence in Fort Lauderdale this week. With our borders now opening and premiere shows such as FLIBS proceeding, it is an excellent platform to promote Australian-made vessels.”

With a global boom in the motor yacht leisure market, Australian vessels are set to impress at the show this weekwhich concludes on Sunday October 31.

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Two of Australia’s largest luxury yacht companies are merging

Superyacht giant Ahoy Club has taken a significant stake in luxury yacht specialist Ray White Marine.

The merger was overseen by luxury yacht company Ahoy Club’s CEO, Ellie Malouf, and their managing director, waste management tycoon Ian Malouf.

“Combining the strengths of both companies opens new opportunities for collaboration and innovation in this space. We’ve made this decision to strengthen our customer offering and to drive expansion,” a statement from Ahoy Club read.

The Australian luxury yachting space is a family business, it seems.

The Malouf family founded the Ahoy Club just over five years ago, in 2018. At the helm of the business is father and daughter team Ian and Ellie.

In line with the merger, Brock Rodwell has been appointed as the CEO of Ray White Marine. He is replacing his father, Rick Rodwell, who will remain with the business in sales.

“Both brands hold trust, respect, compassion and a strong work ethic as fundamental core values. These values are born from family values, which are the foundation of both businesses,” Ian Malouf said in a statement to Forbes Australia.

“This alignment across our brands empowers our employees to go above and beyond for both their clients and colleagues, leading to a high-performance team and loyal customers, and lastly, business success.“

Ray White Marine is an offshoot of Australasia’s largest property group, Ray White.

The company, founded by Rick Rodwell, has exclusive distributorship rights with European luxury yacht dealerships in Australia and New Zealand.

This merger will expand the market share Ahoy Club has in Australia and New Zealand.

Ray White Marine currently has distributorship rights for the Ferretti Group. This merger will bring the Riva Yachts, Sunreef Yachts, and Technohull brands into reach for the Ahoy Club.

Ahoy Club specialises in its yacht charters and large-scale superyacht sales. Brock Rodwell said in a statement that, “the merger will complement each business in many ways others won’t be able to match.”

Ray White Marine will continue to carry all the new vessel brands and brokerage divisions. Ahoy Club will focus on yacht charters, management, and larger-scale superyacht sales.

This merger is significant in strengthening the brand’s global presence.

Ahoy Club has been focusing on expanding internationally. The brand now has locations in France and Monaco, with an ongoing expansion into the United States.

Brock Rodwell will also lead the global brand as Head of Yacht Sales for Ahoy Club, Asia-Pacific.

Alongside increasing locations globally, more Australian offices will make the Ahoy Club increasingly accessible to the customer.

A statement from Ahoy Club explained that, “Strategically for us, having more experts available in key locations is an important part of this merger.”

“Clients will now be able to access us across several offices in Australia and New Zealand including Double Bay and Elizabeth Bay in Sydney, the Gold Coast, Auckland CBD, The Whitsundays, and our prestige showroom in Melbourne with Zagame Automotive Group”.

Rodwell said in a statement that, “Ray White Marine is excited to join forces with Ellie and her team at Ahoy Club. In a short period of time, they have become a main player in our industry when it comes to charter and professional yacht management. Integrating a proven sales team was the next natural step.”

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Australian custom-superyacht builder echo yachts to construct world’s largest sailing catamaran superyacht..

Australia’s full-custom superyacht builder Echo Yachts to construct world’s largest sailing catamaran superyacht.

Australia’s large superyacht builder  Echo Yachts  are pleased to announce a contract signing for the construction of a full-custom 57m, twin masted catamaran sailing superyacht. The yacht has been commissioned by an experienced private client and slated to become the world’s largest sail powered catamaran.

Echo Yachts  are teamed with two renowned sailing and aluminium multihull design firms to deliver the project. An extremely efficient aluminium hull form is complemented by twin masts and sails, accommodating a total sail area of some 1660 m2 for eco-efficient long range cruising. Weight reduction, simplicity and ease of operation will further characterize this project. 

The renowned Dykstra Naval Architects , of Amsterdam in The Netherlands, are providing the yacht’s exterior styling, layout and naval architecture, with an enviable list of project credentials including their iconic sailing yacht projects such as  S/Y Black Pearl and S/Y Hetairos. 

Detailed naval architecture and structural design will be performed by Australian firm  One2Three Naval Architects , the same aluminium and multihull design experts responsible for the Naval Architecture of the international award winning 84m aluminium trimaran superyacht  M/Y White Rabbit  delivered in 2018, and 56m catamaran superyacht  M/Y Charley 2  delivered in 2023.

This new large-scale catamaran sailing yacht project sees  Echo Yachts  expand on their proven large-custom motor yacht capabilities by entering the large-custom sailing yacht market.

Further updates to be provided during the build.

Dykstra Naval Architects CEO and Naval Architect – Thys Nikkels: “We look forward to working with the Owner’s team, Echo Yachts and One2Three on taking the current design concept to the next stage of realization”.

Echo Yachts Owner and Director – Mark Stothard: “Echo Yachts are extremely excited and proud to have been selected to custom build this magnificent catamaran sailing superyacht, and look forward to bringing the yacht to fruition with our Client, Dykstra and One2Three.

This new superyacht will truly elevate the term ‘green superyacht design’ with its low resistance catamaran hull form, sail powered capability and other emission reducing technologies”.

One2Three Naval Architects owner and Director – Steve Quigley: 

“One2three are honoured and thrilled to be selected by Echo Yachts and Dykstra to undertake naval architecture and structural design for another ground breaking Echo Yachts superyacht. Being at the forefront of innovation is our aspiration and successfully commercialising technology our passion.

The Echo/Dykstra full-custom 57m sailing catamaran will cement Echo Yachts’ Australian build capability on the world stage for unique superyachts”.

Echo Yachts website –  www.echoyachts.com

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Marine structures set to make waves nationally and internationally as australia’s new marine infrastructure powerhouse, ocean alliance launches innovative charter experience platform, australia indepth documentary.

Superyacht Australia in partnership with superyachts.com is pleased to present ‘Australia InDepth’, a series of informative short documentary films on the vast and incredible destinations on offer when cruising in Australian waters and the world-class service capabilities available to support visiting vessels..

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