When new management took over the former Broward Marine facility in Florida and reopened it as Broward Shipyard in 2010, the team had big plans. Three years later, some of those plans are coming to fruition. Simultaneously, other opportunities have led to the construction of two new megayachts.
During a visit to the yard earlier this month, I saw activity both inside and outside the build shed. A 98-foot commercial vessel was in the process of being converted into a 115-foot megayacht, for example. A new bow and stern were already in place, with the interior as the next task. There’s no anticipated launch date yet, according to Philippe Brandligt, who’s overseeing sales and marketing, since the owner doesn’t have a set schedule.
Elsewhere in the same shed were the hulls for identical 135-foot (41-meter) megayachts, with naval architecture and styling by Vripack. Their keel laying took place during the summer of 2012 (below). They’re for a new charter company, WorldSea Yachting, which plans per-cabin bookings, akin to cruise ships. The yachts (above), with six staterooms each, are the first new-build contracts under Broward Shipyard’s current ownership, a father and son team with experience in other aspects of the marine business. They’re also the first steel-hulled Browards ever. (Broward Marine concentrated on aluminum construction from its start in the late 1940s.)
The two megayachts, Challenger and Voyager, are notable for further reasons. They’re tied to the Immigrant Investor Program, also known as EB-5. Enacted in 1990 to stimulate the economy, the program attracts foreign investors who further want to obtain green cards. They must support a new commercial enterprise on U.S. soil that additionally creates or preserves at least 10 full-time jobs for American workers. According to Brandligt, Challenger and Voyager each has six investors, contributing $1 million apiece. Since each investor is responsible for the creation of 10 jobs under EB-5, that means 120 jobs must result at Broward Shipyard. (Note that the investors aren’t the yacht owners. Rather, they’re investing in the company that owns Challenger and Voyager.)
Brandligt says that further financing for the megayachts is expected to come from banks and more investors. Construction will continue on the aluminum superstructures and interiors once that final financing is in place. The yachts will meet Lloyds classification and be MCA compliant. With twin 750-hp Caterpillars, each should see a top speed of 13½ knots and range of 5,000 nautical miles at 10 knots. In the meantime, in terms of the Immigrant Investor Program, “We tried to think outside the box with that,” Brandligt says.
Also thinking outside the box, Broward Shipyard is collaborating with other builders and companies in the area. Drive down its street, and you’ll pass Derecktor Shipyards, Playboy Marine, and Powell Brothers, among others. It’s already reconfigured its footprint to share business with some of them, too. For example, at the southern end of its property, it’s working with Powell Brothers. While Broward Shipyard has long been able to host megayachts upwards of 150 feet (64 meters) along its seawall there, commercial traffic often poses a problem. In fact, cargo ships coming and going from a neighboring facility sometimes must swing into Broward’s basin. This therefore puts the yachts at risk. Brandligt says that they remain on good terms, with Broward simultaneously finding a solution with Powell Brothers.
Specifically, megayachts to about 200 feet (nearly 61 meters) will be able to use its seawall instead. It’s in the midst of reconstructing the seawall, with new lighting and features coming soon. Brandligt says he has spoken with the captains of about three or four megayachts interested in using the space when it’s ready. Parking will be alongside each yacht, while a storage shed opposite the seawall will be available for tenders or other toys. Powell Brothers additionally has a small shop for metal work on site for minor work.
That’s not the end of the plans for Broward Shipyard, either. The redredging of the Dania Cutoff Canal late last year at its doorstep has increased depth to 17 feet. This will permit reconfiguring its docks. The goal is to improve the layout, but also to shift smaller yachts (to about 75 feet) to Playboy Marine. Brandligt says relocating these yachts will reduce overhead by 43 percent. Should they require service, though, Broward Shipyard will send its craftspeople.
Brandligt and Broward Shipyard’s owners remain interested in further collaborations. Indeed, Brandligt says that Broward Shipyard hopes to host a superyacht symposium this October for Broward County-based companies both big and small.
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