Since recently taking over the helm of Adriatic 42, one of the newest superyacht refit shipyards to have erupted into the industry in recent years, Guillaume Roché is in the process of revitalising the yard’s development strategy. Nestled in the idyllic and well-protected Boka Bay in the heart of Montenegro, Adriatic 42 combines a unique offering of location, expertise and, most importantly, space, but has been slow to assert itself in the competitive superyacht refit sector. Roché, who has spent 30 years founding and managing superyacht shipyards including Sunrise Yachts in Antalya, has come to the table with a fresh approach, with the goal to become the prime destination for winter refit, repair and maintenance, in partnership with Porto Montenegro’s impressive offering.
SuperYacht Times sat down with Roché to find out more about his plans for the facility, deep dive into his unique approach and share an insight into what we can expect from the yard over the coming years.
Originally a commercial shipyard, what motivated the transition from commercial to superyacht refit?
The shipyard sits opposite the new and highly successful Marina Porto Montenegro, and at over 100,000 square-metres of premium hard-standing space, it offered an unparalleled opportunity to invest in an almost ready-made refit shipyard. With its pre-existing build sheds and near 900 linear metres of dock space, the investors of Marina Porto Montenegro, PM Holdings LLC and Drydocks World Dubai, recognised the potential for a facility that not only completed the marina, but also helped to draw more superyachts to the region. We opened our doors in late 2021, but since then I have worked with the team to refocus the strategy and to create a true ecosystem for superyacht refit.
Tell us a bit about how the yard has developed since you took over as CEO earlier this year
The original strategy of the yard was to service the vessels residing and arriving in the Porto Montenegro Marina, but I realised straight away that Adriatic 42 has the potential to become a major player when it comes to large and very large yacht refits. In order to gain the trust and confidence of the industry, however, we needed to tailor the infrastructure and create an ecosystem that supports all forms of refit and maintenance. With so much space available, we have now focused our energies on creating facilities for expert subcontractors, essentially to draw the best businesses in the industry to Adriatic 42, where they will be able to set up their own workshops so that we can offer world class services on our site.
We have now signed with a growing list of established and reputed subcontractors who are planning to move into workshops and offices at the yard and we are well underway in the construction of those facilities, the first of which will be ready for the upcoming refit season. We have the 180-metre, 10,000-tonne, floating drydock in situ, and we acquired a 720-tonne mobile boat hoist last May and are already looking to purchase a 1,500-tonne MBH in preparation for the 2024 refit reason. Within the next year we will have extended our ground capacity by another 40,000 square-metres, in addition to finishing the refurbishing of our very large deepwater dock to accommodate several 100m+ superyachts.
In addition to the expansion of the services facilities, we are also focusing on the development of a strong and exciting crew infrastructure – what will be the Adriatic Yacht & Sports Club – that complements the excellent crew facilities already in place at Porto Montenegro. Our entire programme is based on transparency, innovation and ethical practices and we think that what we can offer to the industry and the clients is unusual.
Looking forward to the refit period ahead, how many yachts are you currently able to accommodate and how do you expect this to develop?
It looks like we will currently be servicing between 12-18 yachts this upcoming season in the range of 50-60 metres, but our plan is that by next winter season we’ll be able to take in between 50 and 60 yachts, including those above 100 metres. It is ambitious but we are motivated and supported by our investors to expand exponentially and with the interest we are already receiving from the industry we see that it is doable.
This season we have some exciting refits, including a full rebuild and this is our opportunity to demonstrate to the industry what we are capable of.
Why do you think owners will come to Adriatic 42 over the established yards in Spain for example?
The refit industry has seen an increase in demand across the board, with the superyacht fleet increasing in age and a higher demand for older yachts in need of refit. We have a huge facility, with capacity to service the industry’s largest yachts and we have availability for the upcoming season – which very few other yards can say. As I said earlier, our goal is to provide the best service to the clients we have this season in the hope that they will share their experience with other yachts, owners and captains in the future.
We are also focusing on providing something that is very dear to our shareholders: ethical practices, total transparency, and sustainable business environment. This is why all our rates are available to the public and we have an open-book policy with all our clients. We want to develop mutual trust and respect. Alongside with irreproachable workmanship, we believe that this is what will make our clients return to us and recommend us to others.
We are also working hard to connect with the local community and create an environment that attracts owners, crew and captains. I have been working with local businesses and we now have a crew training facility onboard that can provide STCW-95 training next to the yard, so crew no longer have to worry about travelling to gain or maintain their qualifications. We are also in conversation with airlines to open more frequent routes between the main yachting hubs such as Barcelona, Florence and Nice.
With support from the local people, a solid investment plan and unparalleled infrastructure, Adriatic 42 is set to become a premier refit destination.
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