Annual report shows up some interesting superyacht facts…

There are currently 6290 superyachts over 24 metres in length afloat and 267 of them were delivered in 2012. The value of all motor yachts and sailing yachts over 30 metres completed in 2012 was approximately 3.5 billion euros and 45% of all yachts over 24 metres were built in the last 7 years.

These are just some of the fascinating figures to come to light following the Yachting Pages annual industry report. Julia Budniak, marketing manager for Yachting Pages said, “It is extremely important that we at Yachting Pages have up to date, accurate information about the luxury yacht market. The industry moves so quickly, especially now the economic climate has finally turned and we absolutely have to know the marine sector inside out to enable us to provide the best service for our clients. I was extremely pleased to be able to share this year’s annual report with the team.”

The fact that Roman Abramovitch’s Eclipse is no longer the largest superyacht in the world has been in the news recently, following the launch of the luxury motor yacht Azzam. The name Azzam means dedication in Arabic and considering Gulf owners now dominate the top 100 superyachts list it seems rather apt.

The oldest yacht afloat is the El Horriya which was built in 1965; however 39 out of the top 100 luxury yachts were built in the last five years. 20 of the largest motor yachts in the world were built in Germany by Lurssen and another 20 were of Dutch origin. 11 from shipyard Oceano and nine from Feadship.

Moving onto sailing yachts, the oldest is superyacht Creole and the top 35 luxury sailing yachts in the world range from 55.7m to 92.92m. Eos is currently the largest but this will soon change because Dream Ship Victory is building a 141m sailing yacht, and Dubois is working on a design of a 101m sloop.

Looking at shipyards, Sunseeker has been extremely busy, producing nine yachts in 2012, which equals a 4.49% market share in the industry. Custom Line Spa and Azimut Yachts were next in line producing eight each, followed closely by Sanlorenzo, Benetti Spa and Westport Yachts who produced seven each.

In 2012 there were 69 custom-designed luxury yachts delivered, the largest being Topaz, a 147m superyacht from Lurssen. The total length of the custom fleet delivered in 2012 was 3418 meters!

Although 40 of the yachts produced in 2012 were made in German or Dutch shipyards, it is the Italians who are leading on yacht design. 47 full and semi-custom projects were designed by our creative Italian friends, the UK designed 19 projects and the USA has 10 under their belt. Interestingly, of the 69 superyachts most owners hailed from the USA, followed by Russia and Turkey.

These are just some of the facts discovered during Yachting Pages research project. The overall consensus was that the luxury yacht market has sailed through the recent economic crisis with its rigging still intact. The industry is on the up and continues to influence decision makers around the world.

For further information about Yachting Pages, visit www.yachtingpages.com.