There is no shortage of people willing to tell you where the market is heading. Brokers, project managers, owners’ reps, consultants and journalists all have a view, but the perspective that tends to be least heard in public and arguably the one that matters most belongs to the people who actually run the yards. So we asked nine of the market-leading shipyard executives the important questions to get a true understanding of where the market is and where it is heading. Their answers amount to a collective diagnosis and a clear barometer of the current new-build landscape.

The yards represented here span the full competitive range of the European market, from Royal Huisman, Damen Yachting and Feadship in the Netherlands to Palumbo, Sanlorenzo, Azimut Benetti and Ferretti in Italy, from Abeking and Rasmussen in Germany to Bilgin in Türkiye. Of course, they don’t agree on everything, but the convergence on certain themes is inescapably evident.

It is a near-united front on how they build. The past two to three years have brought a genuine step change in how these yards organise and deliver: facility redesigns, digital tools, closer integration between engineering and production and a concerted push to eliminate the late-stage revisions that have historically plagued new builds feature in almost every response. Obviously, skilled labour is the constraint that no investment in facilities can fully resolve. Finding the right people, training, keeping and ensuring the craft knowledge that makes these yachts exceptional is passed to the next generation is the essential thread that runs beneath everything else these leaders say. Supply chains have stabilised but remain brittle for specialist components. And in cost management, the ability to maintain quality without haemorrhaging margin is repeatedly cited as the factor most likely to define who thrives.

Yes, order books are strong, but the nature of what is being ordered has shifted. Owners are more considered, more experience-driven and increasingly motivated by how they spend their time on board. Purpose, sustainability and genuine adventure are genuine design drivers here. And when probed on the future, not one of these leaders talks about explosive growth. What they describe instead is a market that will be defined by the quality of what is delivered, the credibility of the yards delivering it and the ability to remain relevant to a generation of owners whose expectations extend well beyond the vessel itself. 

What follows is an interview by News Editor Conor Feasey with Matthias Hellmann, the CEO of Abeking & Rasmussen, taken from The Superyacht Report: New Build Focus. Interviews with a further eight shipyard CEOs will be published over the coming days.

What changes have you made across your yards over the past two or three years that have genuinely helped construction and what has improved as a result?
Deviations from the construction process are now recorded digitally via smartphones by our site supervisors and subcontractors and managed within a centralised system. This has significantly increased the speed of issue resolution, improved transparency across departments and led to measurable gains in efficiency and quality.

In addition, we have digitalised our acceptance processes. Paper on board is becoming increasingly rare – documentation, reporting and sign-offs are now handled digitally and securely. This not only reduces administrative workload but also enhances traceability and accountability.

Currently, we are working on further digitalisation initiatives. The clear objective is to keep the focus on crafts-manship and value creation rather than on managing administrative overhead. By streamlining surrounding processes, we enable our teams to concentrate on what truly matters: building high-quality vessels.

The demand is strengthening for large yachts in the 100-metre-plus range ... the overall trajectory points towards ever larger vessels. 

Where is the pressure really building today? What has not worked as well as expected and where do you see the greatest risk to the market?
The market pressure is mounting around talent acquisition. Finding qualified personnel is becoming increasingly difficult. We have already placed a strong focus on building an excellent workforce through intensive apprenticeship programmes and dual study degrees, which ensures a steady pipeline of highly qualified staff.  At the same time, the supply chain is seeing a concentration of sub-suppliers. Our strategy is making long-term relationships with established, reliable partners in order to be able to respond quickly to our clients’ specific requests. Another important part of our strategy is to raise the in-house manufacturing rate for core competencies (for example shell doors, movable parts) and to maintain a high level of engineering professionalism.

Looking at different specs, designs and size segments, where are you seeing strength in demand and where are you seeing a softening? What is driving it?
We are concentrating on building vessels in the 60 to 125-metre range. The demand is strengthening for large yachts in the 100-metre-plus range. Clients are also requesting custom technical solutions like bigger glass areas, higher sustainability standards, advanced deck‑cover solutions and single‑tier engine rooms.

Finally, on a more personal note, how do you see the market developing over the next decade? What does the future look like in reality?
The overall trajectory points towards ever larger vessels. Clients will continue to push the limits of size, complexity and sustainability, demanding more integrated systems and bespoke solutions. To stay competitive, shipyards will need to deepen their core competencies, invest heavily in digital design and production technologies, and maintain a highly skilled workforce capable of delivering these increasingly sophisticated projects.

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Abeking & Rasmussen

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