Eight months after announcing new investments and new organizational operations, Blohm+Voss is taking bigger steps to strengthen those moves. It has a new megayacht-focused sales team, plus is opening sales offices on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as farther afield.
Last June, Blohm +Voss announced it was uniting its superyacht division. New-build and refit projects had long been split between Blohm+Voss Shipyards and Blohm+Voss Repair, respectively. The management team decided instead to create a dedicated Mega Yachts division for all aspects of pleasure-yacht sales and service. The same division also introduced lifetime warranties.
Now, the Mega Yachts division has a director of sales, Joris Neven (above). He’ll be at Blohm+Voss’ headquarters in Hamburg, Germany. Neven will work with Monaco-based Patrick Coote, previously the sales and marketing director and now the managing director.
Neven comes to Blohm+Voss after having worked for other prestigious shipyards, some of which have yachting activities. They include Damen Shipyards, which owns Amels, and Chantier Piriou, which built the recently delivered explorer Yersin. Prior to that, Neven served in the merchant navy.
Further to strengthen its Mega Yachts division, Blohm+Voss is in the final stages of establishing a dedicated office in Monaco. Coote will be located there, a more high-profile office than before.
Blohm+Voss additionally intends to open a megayacht-focused sales office on this side of the Atlantic. It has not specified where, though it will be for all of the Americas. The yard further plans to open a Middle East office in the coming months. Once the offices and staffs are in place, they will handle new sales, ongoing support for owners, and refits.
In related news, the BV80, a semi-custom megayacht that Blohm+Voss announced in 2014, started construction in recent weeks. We requested an update, including photos, from the shipyard a few days ago and are still awaiting details as of press time.
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