The Yacht Harbour Association has awarded IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande Marina with its highest possible accreditation. By attaining the highest possible accreditation, Yacht Haven Grand Marina affirms its position as one of the world’s premier marinas. In addition, IGY Sète Marina, the recently opened facility in the south of France, welcomes its first superyacht.

“For nearly a decade, five of our marinas have consistently earned 5 Gold Anchor status, and now, with Yacht Haven Grande advancing to platinum level in 2019 – a new era of brand standard operational philosophy has been ushered into the IGY culture, that will positively impact our entire 17 marina global network,” comments Kenny Jones MBE, EVP Operations at IGY. “With IGY’s strategy to develop its global reach into the Mediterranean, and having a brand-new marina open in Sète that can take the largest privately-owned yachts in the world, this world class platinum achievement by Yacht Haven Grande Marina has given IGY even more confidence in our ability to drive forward.

The process to attain a platinum level rating required Yacht Haven Grande Marina to pass a comprehensive external audit encompassing design, operations, policies, procedures, communications, destination integration, and an independently administered review of the marina’s customer service enquiry standards. This achievement is particularly noteworthy considering the recovery of Yacht Haven Grande Marina and the island of St. Thomas following hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2015. Only four marinas have ever been awarded the platinum level designation, but only Yacht Haven Grande Marina has had to overcome two category five hurricanes in a single year.

In June 2019, IGY Sète Marina opened for business. As superyachts continue to grow in size, berthing space for the very largest vessels in Mediterranean are becoming a covetous commodity. The IGY Sète facility in the south of France has alongside berthing for superyachts up to 180m in length and, upon completion, promises to be IGY’s most advanced marina to date. This week, IGY welcomed its first superyacht to the facility.

Representatives from IGY Sète Marina welcome their first visitor

“IGY is thrilled to not only be opening one of the newest superyacht marinas in the Mediterranean, but also extremely proud to be building strong relationships with the local community and advancing the economic development of the region,” says Bert Fowles, vice president of marketing & sales at IGY.

IGY has marketed the marina as being a convenient stopover destination for superyachts on their way to the refit hubs in La Ciotat, Marseille, Barcelona and the Balearics, as well as being a legitimate destination in its own right and a long-term berthing option for large vessels with competitive pricing.

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