Megayacht construction takes place all over the world, as many of you know–but what you may not know is just how much is going on in Turkey. In fact, so many yards are there that everyone from brokers to designers and even other boatyard representatives have been visiting. They’re interested in seeing what the capacities and labor forces are like for a variety of reasons. There’s a rich tradition of shipbuilding in Turkey, for example, with two of the largest centers of yacht construction being in Tuzla, which is a suburb of Istanbul, and Antalya, which has an economic free-trade zone. There’s also a lower cost of construction, said to be upwards of 40 percent less than in some places in Europe.
Edmiston is among the brokerage houses that have undertaken recent visits to get a first-hand assessment of all this. As a result one of its clients signed a contract for the 72-meter (236-footer) you see here. To be named Red Square, she’s being built by Dunya Yachts.
Dunya Yachts has an interesting history. It was created in 2006 through the merger of two Turkish companies with expertise in the commercial-marine business: Ursa Shipyard (founded in 1983) and Dunya Denizcilik (founded in 1985). The merger occurred purposely to target the megayacht market. Dunya Yachts operates within Ursa Shipyard’s facilities, located in Tuzla. Since Ursa originally serviced and repaired small and medium-size boats, the facilities are undergoing a major expansion to accommodate more new-build and refit projects. Presently it can build boats to 80 meters LOA (262 feet), but by next year it should have additional sheds that will permit construction of 125-meter (410-foot) yachts. In addition, 20 designers and 20 naval architects are on site.
As for Red Square, she’ll accommodate 16 guests and feature interior design by Alberto Pinto and naval architecture by Sterling Scott, who’s a “rising star in superyacht designers” according to Tomaso Polli, the Edmiston broker who represents the owner. Delivery of the 58.5-million-euro ($92-million) Red Square is expected in spring 2010.
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