Dubai International Boat Show 2023
The 29th edition of the Dubai International Boat Show was the biggest to date, and attracted a record-breaking crowd of 1,000 exhibitors for the five-day event hosted at Dubai Harbour Marina. Yachts were in high demand, and exhibitors reported buyers from all around the world. New launches were a major drawcard, with 44 global and regional launches taking place throughout the week.
APSA Committee members Nigel Beatty, Christophe Ceard and Bryan Tse were able to attend the show briefly, and caught up with number of APSA members who were exhibiting or visiting the show, including: Margaux Detry (Sri Lanka Yacht Group); Aashim Mongia (West Coast Marine Yacht Services); Nabil and Ibrahim Farhat (The World of Yachts), Claus Gruner and David Li (Seabob Asia-Pacific); founder members Simon Turner (Sunreef Yachts) and Oscar Siches (GMBA); and the new President of ICOMIA, Darren Vaux.
“DIBS is gathering momentum,” says Aashim Mongia, the President of the Indian Marina Federation. “All the big names in the business are back, and that’s a good thing. It’s the largest show in the Middle East, and with its great turnout of both exhibitors and clients, the future of the show is positive. For us in India it is extremely important, as it is the largest show at which we can show our principle products all under one roof. The setting and ambience of Dubai Harbour enhances the show, and Dubai as a destination can truly look forward to becoming the Monaco of the Middle East in the years ahead.”
All the major shipyards were present, and the UAE shipyard Gulf Craft unveiled its highly-anticipated Majesty 111 and the surprise new addition, Nomad 101. With 15 yachts on display, Gulf Craft had the largest display, which is hardly surprising given that Dubai is their home base. Abeer Al Shaali, Deputy Managing Director at Gulf Craft, said DIBS 2023 was a phenomenal show. “Seeing a huge influx of crowds, some of whom are visiting us for the first time, is really exciting. The two yachts we brought to the show have already been sold, and we have many serious leads looking at making purchases. I don’t think we’ll leave here without selling at least three or four yachts,” Al Shaali added.
On the superyacht side there were over 40 yachts over 24m. The largest yacht on display was Ocean Independence’s 68.2m motoryacht Soaring, which was queen of the line-up and boasted the highest price tag at €88 million. Italian shipyards were well represented with Sanlorenzo Yachts premiering their 110 as well as the SL86, Ferretti Group displaying a Ferretti Yachts 780 and the Riva 88’ Folgore. Azimut|Benetti exhibited their S10 and Grande 27M. “The Dubai International Boat Show is an appointment we can’t miss,” said Enrico Chiaussa, Azimut Head of Sales for Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa. “We have created an extremely robust and widespread network of professional and exceptionally high-level service points, ensuring we offer our yacht owners outstanding and dedicated service.”
Netherlands-based megayacht builder Oceanco unveiled the first renderings for its new 131m superyacht concept Aeolus during the show. Named after the Greek god of the wind, Aeolus features exterior design by Giles Taylor and naval architecture from the boards of Lateral Naval Architects. Aeolus was revealed in front of a crowd of industry professionals by Giles Taylor, Sarah Colbon, Co-founder of Njord, alongside James Roy of Lateral Naval Architects.
Sunreef Yachts presented their 60 Power Eco and the impressive Eco 80, which has composite-integrated solar panels built into the hull sides, mast, superstructure and bimini roof. Many consider the 80 Eco to be a ‘pioneer in green yachting’, and the first hull was delivered to Dubai in March 2022.
Silent Yachts are another eco-friendly shipyard, and the world’s first ocean-going production yachts powered by solar energy were creating a lot of interest. General Manager, Ahmed Almousawi said, “Many people do not know that such a thing already exists, yet we have 16 of them in the water worldwide and 26 currently in build. We have several interested clients that are planning to visit our headquarters in Mallorca to take things forward.”
Other superyacht shipyards with a strong presence at the show included Heesen, Damen, BehneMar and Feadship. The Marine Art Gallery by Feadship offered guests the chance to view some unique art and cut crystal, marble, and sculptures created from 6,500-year-old wood.
Aside from the boats, there were plenty of other activities to keep visitors entertained, including the second edition of the Experimental Yachting Forum that was held at the Port of Call stage, and explored the routes for bringing investors into the yachting world, as well as exploring alternative uses for superyachts. Jet-Skis, e-Foils, and dive demonstrations, and a selection of supercars, live music performances and plenty of activities for children kept the whole family happy. The organisers just need to review the traffic flow for next year in order to make it easier for visitors to enjoy all that the DIBS has to offer.