MONACO, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leisure boating and sustainability to change yachting’s image. The La Belle Classe Superyachts Business Symposium organised by Yacht Club de Monaco in the form of a dinner-debate, has become a fixture on calendars as an opportunity to take stock of the current situation, issues and challenges for the sector.
Organised under the aegis of the Monaco Capital of Advanced Yachting approach it federates key players across the supply chain, including owners and captains of superyachts. The theme for this 15th edition was yachting’s image and importance of keeping it positive towards an industry which, at a time when all eyes are on calculating the carbon footprint, is leveraging eco-performance alternatives to progress an energy transition. “The Yacht Club de Monaco’s unique and neutral position enables it to bring those involved across the industry together to analyse the situation and propose concrete solutions. You all coming here this evening reflects everyone’s involvement which is essential if we are going to shift the goal posts,” began Bernard d’Alessandri, YCM General Secretary and President of the Cluster Yachting Monaco.
While the yachting market is thriving with order books full, the issue of sustainability is on the minds of public opinion and the industry. “The number of yachts under construction grew by 7% in 2023 and right now there are 648 yachts over 30m under construction. The shipyards have full order books and some shipyards have already sold yachts for delivery in 2028", said Merjin de Waard, Founder of SuperYacht Times & Board member of the Superyacht Life Foundation. To clarify: “New yacht sales dropped 29% in 2022 compared to 2021, however 2022 was still the secondbest year (after 2021) of the last ten years with 221 new yacht sales. We should add that 2021 was very unusual, as there was a strong demand from buyers after the Covid-19 pandemic and at the same time a lot of availability of new yachts. As an example, in 2021 35% of new yachts under construction were for sale, while today it is only 19%”.
The general opinion is that the market is uncertain due to a combination of crises including an unstable economic context, soaring prices for materials and energy, higher interest rates and many geopolitical unknowns. It was noted that the perception of yachting is a tad biased due to media coverage of its eco-obligations, with 71% of 1,200 yacht specialist publications published in 2022 reporting negative feelings towards the sector. For experts and observers, the superyacht industry faces an existential crisis and needs an action plan to improve performance and reduce its environmental impact.
Following its La Belle Classe Superyachts Business Symposium, YCM prepares for the 6th Monaco Ocean Week (20-26 March) organised by Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation with the Monaco Oceanographic Institute, Monaco Scientific Centre and Yacht Club de Monaco. As tradition dictates, YCM is in charge of the yachting day on Thursday 23rd March. A full-day programme kicks off with the 12th La Belle Classe Superyachts Environmental Symposium focused this year on the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge which will celebrate its 10th anniversary (3-8 July), followed by the 27th Captains’ Forum and concluding with the 3rd YCM Explorer Awards by La Belle Classe Superyachts. At the same time, the 1st Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous will be launched, organised by M3 (Monaco Marina Management) following the success of the first two editions of the Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous (next one 24-25 September 2023).
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