The Superyacht Queensland Christmas function which was held at South Port Yacht club on their floating pontoon saw key industry players out in force. The function was held immediately after the Superyacht Queensland committee meeting where the 2018 committee was confirmed.
The superyacht sector in Queensland is thriving and contributes 50% of the overall economic value of this industry. The Queensland government prior to the recent election announced their support for the sector and have invested in the development of a superyacht strategy for Queensland to drive the development of infrastructure, to work towards removing key barriers and to ensure there is a strongly focused international marketing strategy.
With the Commonwealth games coming up next year there is a strong focus on Queensland and the Gold Coast in particular. Southport Yacht club has already advised they have been booked out for the games with visiting superyachts and the other marinas in the region are already taking bookings.
MaryAnne Edwards, CEO of Superyacht Australia, stated “Bookings are now starting to come in and those Superyachts wanting to visit during this period need to firm up their marina bookings. We have members with excellent facilities in the immediate vicinity and they are likely to book out very quickly. With both Brisbane and the Gold Coast having port clearance facilities this makes it easy for visiting superyachts to clear customs. It is also important to note that there are excellent refit and repair facilities in the Queensland region and it is expected a number of visiting superyachts will take advantage of this.”
Superyacht Queensland alongside Superyacht Australia worked hard this year to address issues that will drive economic growth in the industry for Queensland. The key successes being:
- Access to the Great, Barrier Reef for vessels over 35 metres. An extra 21 anchorages became available from July. This is a huge boost for tourism in the north and will be an attraction for more superyachts to cruise in Australia.
- Customs clearance facility at Southport Yacht Club. This is a huge boost for local businesses and already 30 vessels have cleared directly into the Gold Coast and many more are expected with the Commonwealth Games coming up.
- Superyacht berths on the Brisbane River. Superyacht Queensland had meetings with the Brisbane Council and various developers encouraging them to include superyacht berths in their development plans. This has been extremely positive and by 2021 it is hoped there will be some fantastic infrastructure for superyachts to berth on the Brisbane river.
- The development of a superyacht Strategy for Queensland. Thanks to the foresight of the current Queensland government they have funded the development of a superyacht strategy being undertaken by an independent consultant AEC. This strategy is currently being finalised and forwarded to the government and it is hoped it will be launched at the ASMEX conference 21-23 May at Sanctuary Cove.
- Queensland has secured the ASMEX conference for the next 3 years, a big coup for Queensland.
Luke Mc Caul Abell Point Marina commented “Many superyachts visiting for the games are also utilising this time to travel all around Australia and many will be heading north to the Great Barrier Reef stopping at superyacht marinas like ours at Abell Point and of course Cairns and Port Douglas. Events such as the Commonwealth Games are a big attraction for superyacht owners and we are also gearing up for the influx of superyachts that will start heading this way around 2019 for the Americas Cup”
With key industry events like the Australian Marine Export and Superyacht Conference 21 to 23 May next year at Sanctuary Cove, the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show and of course the Australian Superyacht Rendezvous, there will be a strong focus on Queensland and the superyacht industry next year.
The election of the Queensland Superyacht Committee to drive the strategy for Queensland saw Cameron Bray, Northrop & Johnson, re-elected as Chair for the 2018 Year alongside key industry stakeholders.
Peter Luke – Superyacht Solutions
Byron Rabone – Rabone Systems
Barry Jenkins – Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show
Christian Mclennan – The Yard Brisbane
Luke McCaul – Abell Point Marina
Kevin Altera – Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard
Dan Wieland – BSE Maritime Solutions
Steve Fisher – Rivergate Marina & Shipyard
Murray Owen – Marine Engineering Consultants
Mark Riddell – South Port Yacht Club
Lorenzo Cappugi – Ensign Ship Brokers
Managing Director Cameron Bray, Northrop & Johnson commented “2017 has been a year of growth and maturity for the Queensland superyacht industry. Our expanded Committee shows great depth across the board, I look forward to working with them to drive further outcomes into 2018.”
Superyacht Australia CEO, Edwards said “this is a strong committee for Queensland with representation across all the key sectors of the industry. They will be working to drive the critical issues facing the industry. Cameron Bray and Luke Mc Caul are also on the working group for the charter regulations which is the biggest issue facing the industry. A considerable amount of work and effort continues to be done in this area with continual pressure being applied to the federal government. Superyacht Australia has gained considerable support from both sides of government who agree superyachts should be able to charter in Australia it is simply finding the appropriate mechanism to allow this”
The next committee meeting will be held on the Gold Coast on the 27 February 2018.
Article from Ocean Magazine