French refit yard Monaco Marine has announced that it will build a new maintenance and refit facility for 80-130m superyachts following a $50million investment. According to the refit facility, the proposal was validated by the supervisory board of the port of Marseille after years of technical studies and efforts led by Monaco Marine.

Scheduled to be completed and available for projects in 2022, Monaco Marine will soon have the capacity to accommodate yachts up to 130m. As one of the most popular cruising destinations in the world, this new facility will come as a welcome addition for captains and owners at the larger end of the yachting spectrum who are based in the French Riviera.

“At Monaco Marine, we are always looking for opportunities to settle new yacht facilities because our shipyards are already full all year long,” says François Vila, marketing and communications manager at Monaco Marine. “We think that clients’ requirements and expectations are not the same for each segment even if it is always about maintenance and refit for yachts.

“To build and operate an efficient shipyard, you need an access to the sea with enough draught, you need enough place for ground, in-house workers, offices and crew areas, you need a logistics hub (especially for mega yachts) and you need a lot of specialized sub-contractors available in the corner,” Vila continues. “To find all of those elements in an available area is not easy. We succeed it with Marseille.”

Currently, Monaco Marine has a network of shipyards that is focused on three market segments, based on the size and tonnage of those which visit. Saint-Laurent-du-Var and Cogolin for 0 to 100 tonnage yachts, Beaulieu-sur-mer, Antibes, and La Seyne Toulon (opening next September) for 100 tonnes to 500 tonnes and La Ciotat for 500 tonnes to 2000 tonnes. The addition of the new Marseille facility will open up Monaco Marine’s offering to yachts from 2000 tonnes to 6000 tonnes.

Historically, this area of the market is not one that Monaco Marine has been recognised for. However, having completed numerous projects over the 100m mark on the water, the goal for the shipyard is to rise to the challenge and create a facility which exclusively focuses within this size category.

“Our strategy is to respond to the need of this market,” says Vila. “We decided to build a shipyard with 6000 tonnes yacht lifts because it corresponds to 85% of the market of yachts beyond 80 meters. We think that the offer is nowadays very poor for mega yachts in terms of maintenance and refit and they deserve to get their specific facility rendering the tailor-made services they require. We strongly believe that there is enough place in this market for a new competent and active key actor such as Monaco Marine.”

Historically, this area of the market is not one that Monaco Marine has been recognised for. However, having completed numerous projects over the 100m mark on the water, the goal for the shipyard is to rise to the challenge and create a facility which exclusively focuses within this size category.

“The target for Marseille is to manage technical pit stops and huge refits within a minimal time frame for this size of yachts with the best quality,” Vila explains. “Of course, It is a challenge but for us, every yacht we operate on is a challenge. Our strong experience of more than 20 years of maintenance and refit on 3000 yachts each year offers us the possibility to follow the trend of our clients. Our clients are used to fixing us strong challenges that we had always accomplished in the past.”

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