Chairman’s Message 4 March 2024
Spring is an active time for APSA in Asia, and the next event on the superyacht schedule is APSA member Horizon’s biennial Open House, a celebration of yachts, culture and innovation being held at the shipyard’s facilities in Kaohsiung, 5-7 March 2024. Over 100 superyacht owners, agents, brokers, and industry professionals will gather for three days of entertainment, superyacht launches, yacht hops, cocktail parties, and gala dinners. I am very much looking to forward to attending the personalised tours of the Horizon Group’s expanded, cutting-edge shipyard facilities, and the insider's view to where the magic happens in crafting these world class vessels.
At the time of writing, the Dubai International Boat Show has just wrapped up, and Christophe Ceard (APSA Vice Chairman) was in attendance to catch up with several members attending the show. Held in anew location, the Dubai International Boat show continues to play an important role as an East/West meeting point for the superyacht industry, and APSA will be back next year, continuing to grow the Asia-Pacific connections in this region.
April sees the return of the Singapore Yachting Festival (SYF) after a highly successful inaugural event in 2023. The SYF will take place 25-28 April 2024 at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove. With over 70 yachts on display and an abundance of F&B, entertainment, and immersive activities on offer, visitors will be able to fully immerse in the distinct yachting way of living. The Inaugural ICOMIA Boating Industry Conference 23-24 April will focus on sustainability and decarbonization for yachts under 24m. Early bird tickets are available online for both events until 31st March. More information can be found in this newsletter.
In May APSA was looking forward to being a supporting partner for the 4th edition of the Australian Superyacht Rendezvous that was to be staged on 17 and 18 May 2024 at Gold Coast City Marina and Shipyard (GCCM). We have just received news that this event has been postponed on account of the increased number of current shipyard projects needing urgent priority at the same time. APSA will keep you updated when the new event dates are confirmed for 2025.
Finally, in June, there is the Inaugural Asia-Pacific Superyacht Summit organized by Superyacht Times Media Group. APSA is a Supporting Partner for this Summit, which takes place 5-6 June 2024 at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong. The two-day event will gather together key industry and superyacht shipyard professionals, with the goal of developing the Asian superyacht market and attract more yachts to the region. You can find more details about the Summit in this newsletter, and please contact us for more information about sponsorship or networking opportunities surrounding this new event.
Other news stories include the announcement of Clearvac Engineering Asia’s new office in Singapore, and online superyacht training courses being run by the Superyacht Crew Academy in Australia. If you are interested in art, then Simpson Marine invites you to join them at Art Basel Hong Kong at the Sanlorenzo Lounge to discover the new Casa Sanlorenzo, due to be inaugurated in Venice in 2024.
There's plenty happening in Asia, and APSA is here to keep you informed and connected, both on and off the water!
Best Regards
Nigel Beatty