Gulf Craft Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary Of Superyacht Construction

Gulf Craft and ICON Yachts BV collaborate on construction of new 52 meter yacht

Gulf Craft, the region’s largest and internationally renowned fiberglass (FRP) boat manufacturer, is celebrating its 10th anniversary of superyacht construction with an increased presence at the forthcoming Abu Dhabi Yacht Show. Within a decade, the manufacturer has delivered 18 superyachts, exceeding 100ft, to four continents - an achievement that makes Gulf Craft one of the most successful builders in the exclusive superyacht market.

Nasser Alshaali, CEO of Gulf Craft, commented, “Gulf Craft was the first yard to produce superyachts in the region with its Majesty line. We have been blending art with science to innovate class-leading yachts in an increasingly competitive global market. Our collaboration with ICON Yachts will help grow our market share further, and establish our presence in ever larger yacht building segments."

Since the formal announcement at the Monaco Yacht Show of the close co-operation between Gulf Craft and ICON Yachts BV, both parties have prepared for the transfer of know-how and development of new products for the global superyacht market. Combining Gulf Craft’s 28 years expertise in advanced composite construction methods and ICON Yachts’ proven steel superyacht engineering and construction capability, the companies are now collaborating on the construction of a new 52 meter superyacht that will fuse the two manufacturing disciplines.

"ICON Yachts is looking to the future with the collaboration of Gulf Craft in the construction of this new yacht, which will feature a revolutionary new modular building technique pioneered by ICON Yachts," commented Wim Koersvelt, Founder and CEO of ICON Yachts. He continued, "this means that the 52 meter yacht will be a flexible platform on which owners can customize the yacht according to their requirements while maintaining value."

Presenting a total of four yachts at the show, double the number exhibited in 2009, Gulf Craft will be among the largest on-water exhibitors. From the model line-up, visitors will be able to see the Majesty 77, Majesty 88, Majesty 101 and the flagship Majesty 121. “In just a decade Gulf Craft has made remarkable progress in the superyacht sector,” said Erwin Bamps, COO of Gulf Craft. “We first launched the Majesty 118 Millennium Edition in 2000, and now have delivered a total of 18 superyachts, each of them built to international classification standards, and to the individual taste and requirements of a discerning clientele. This is an incredible success story for the UAE, a country with still a nascent manufacturing industry.”

In turn, Gulf Craft’s success has not only encouraged other shipyards to open, but also attracted the attention of the Informa Yacht Group, organisers of the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show.

Alongside the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show, the second Gulf Superyacht Forum, entitled The Gulf Region, Exploring its Business Potential, will be held. Delegates can benefit from a panel of expert international keynote speakers and unique mix of debate and interactive discussion. Nasser Al Shaali will contribute to the conference with an address on ‘Expertise in design, building and brokerage in the Gulf region’.

The Abu Dhabi Yacht Show will be held from the 25th to the 27th of February at Yas Circuit Marina, Abu Dhabi. During the show, Gulf Craft will be exhibiting its superyacht fleet at the ADYS, berth# 46, 47, 48 and 49 from 2PM to 10 PM.
 

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