2023 March April Marina World

Marina 

www.marinaworld.com 

World 

March/April 2023 

Issue 136 

Essential reading for marina and waterfront developers, planners and operators

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W W W . S F M A R I N A . C O M



March/April 2023 Vol.23, No.4 

16 

CONTENTS 

World News 7 

Planning & Design 16 

Ismailia Yacht Marina, the new era of the Suez 

Canal; A nautical tourism centre for Piombino; 

Becoming a master at planning marinas 

Family-run marinas 29 

Feedback from marina owners and customers; 

Family success in the TransEurope Marinas 

network 

40 

Talking Shop 40 

Marina Izola in Slovenia is a well-sheltered, 

forward-thinking facility with an ideal location in 

central Europe. Marina manager Vladimir Gavran 

talks shop 

Events 43 

The 2023 AMI Conference & Expo, held in 

January/February in Daytona Beach, Florida was 

a record-breaking event 

49 

Floating Structures 49 

SF Marina delivers two very different floating 

solutions 

Environmental Products 51 

Oscar Siches explores electric propulsion and 

the challenges it brings 

Products & Services 55 

On the cover: Marina Izola is one 

of just a handful of marinas to lie 

along Slovenia’s tiny Mediterranean 

coastline. Marina owners believe its 

location is one of its greatest assets 

and strive to maintain connection 

with the fisherman’s town on its 

doorstep and the broader Istrian 

culture and countryside. See p. 40 

www.marinaworld.com – March/April 2023 

3



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The 

practicalities 

of power 

FROM THE EDITOR 

The arrival of longer and beamier vessels, including catamarans, has had 

the greatest boat design impact on the way marina infrastructure has been 

planned and designed in decades. The vessel, whatever its size, has been 

either sail or power (both requiring dockside electricity and water), and the 

latter also needing petrol or diesel from the fuel dock. Established services; 

established facilities. 

In the last few years, the most radical developments have probably been in-slip 

pump-out and – more rarely – in-slip fuelling for large yachts. The next radical move 

is the installation of charge points for the power boats that will increasingly be 

“electric”. 

It’s a very hot subject. The organisers of AMI Conference & Expo, held in Florida 

as January tipped into February this year, selected ‘The Future of Boat Design’ as 

a second marina keynote topic. Association of Marina Industries (AMI) chairman, 

John Swick, explained the rationale: “It is extremely important that the marinas and 

boat and engine manufacturers have an open dialogue about what the future holds. 

Infrastructure changes require a significant amount of planning and lead-time, so 

the earlier these conversations can be happening, the better,” he said. 

Oscar Siches agrees on the need to plan carefully, and investigate thoroughly. 

His article on electric propulsion (pages 51-53) urges us to make efforts to truly 

understand the technology and its implications, and the many factors that should 

be taken into account when selecting power sources, battery power, and charging 

speeds and methods. There is a learning curve with all new technology and there 

will be hurdles along the way, a likely raft of legislation, and serious challenges – 

such as safe disposal of batteries. 

A fleet of electric boats jostling for berths at your marina isn’t likely to happen 

soon. But demand for charging infrastructure will arrive as the market share for 

electric boats will inevitably rise: prices (currently high) will drop as these boats 

become more popular; and range, which is already far longer than for early models, 

extends even further. A long-haul trip by electric boat isn’t, however, likely to be 

feasible for many years. 

Don’t be tempted to lock the topic away! Although there may be little or no 

demand as yet at your marina, it’s coming. While there are sound arguments that 

refute the truly ‘green’ and certainly ‘moral’ ethos of electric power (e.g. the effects 

of mineral mining), in terms of reducing polluting emissions, if power comes from a 

clean source, the electric boat is a winner. And it is here, now, and all set to be an 

increasingly large part of the global leisure fleet in the future. 

Carol Fulford 

Editor 

© 2023 Loud & Clear Publishing Ltd 

Views expressed by individual contributors in this issue 

are not necessarily those of Loud & Clear Publishing 

Ltd. Equally, the inclusion of advertisements in this 

magazine does not constitute endorsement of the 

companies, products and services concerned by Loud & 

Clear Publishing Ltd. The publisher reserves the right to 

refuse advertising. 


5

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WORLD NEWS 

Berths still 

in high demand 

UK: Demand for berths exceeds pre-pandemic levels according to insight 

revealed in British Marine’s newly released UK Marina and Mooring Market 

Report (2021-2022). 

A total of 173 marinas took part in 

the survey, i.e. 23% of the UK’s 723 

marinas, representing 42% of the 

country’s marina berths and moorings. 

Some key findings are as follows: 

• Revenues from marina berthing 

income grew 13% to £283 million in 

2021/22, reflecting the impact of the 

sector’s recovery from the pandemic. 

• Gross profits accounted for an 

average of 20% of revenues per 

marina. Total gross profits related to 

marina berthing for the entire sector 

increased 32% to £55 million. 

• The sector’s direct Gross Value 

Added (GVA) contribution to UK GDP 

through marina berthing income 

increased 16% to £127 million 

from the previous year. The ‘added 

value’ created by the marina sector 

represents 45.1% of total sector 

output. 

• Taking into account indirect and 

induced economic effects, from 

marinas’ supply chain spending and 

the spending of employees supported 

by marinas and their suppliers, the UK 

marina sector generated a combined 

total of £253 million in GVA. 

• Despite increasing challenges from 

inflation and declining UK economic 

growth, marina businesses are 

optimistic about their market, with 

54% of members still positive about 

prospects, citing the continued effect 

of the pandemic boom in secondhand 

boat sales and demand for 

berths over the last year. 56% of 

respondents reported that demand 

for berths was still above prepandemic 

levels. 

• Occupancy rates for April 2022, 

at the start of the boating season, 

averaged 90% across all mooring 

providers, with rates highest at inland 

marinas (91%) compared to coastal 

(89%). 

• Due to a surge in demand and rising 

inflation after lockdown, the yield per 

berth (which, alongside occupancy, 

is a key metric for marina berthing 

productivity), grew 13% to £3,551. 

• With supply increasingly strained, 

19% of marinas that responded to the 

survey are looking to expand over the 

next 12 months. The focus is upon 

adding pontoon berths rather than 

dry storage. 

Port Vell as ‘Cup’ 

superyacht marina 

SPAIN: Marina Port Vell Barcelona has been named as the ‘Preferred 

Superyacht Marina’ for the 37 th America’s Cup, to be held in Barcelona between 

August and October 2024. 

Booking of berths at the marina 

during this period will be managed via 

a centralised booking system run by 

the official superyacht services partner 

BWA Yachting. Over 40 boats and 

superyachts have already requested 

mooring. 

Grant Dalton, CEO of ACE 

Barcelona and Emirates Team New 

Zealand, comments: “From the start 

of our discussions with Barcelona and 

Catalunya as the potential host venue 

for the America’s Cup event, we have 

been very impressed by the extent and 

quality of marinas, ports and facilities 

that can be offered to visiting yachts.” 

“Marina Port Vell is unique in its 

position in Port Vell, so close to the city 

centre and next to the team bases for 

the America’s Cup event so we are very 

pleased with this partnership. We have 

no doubt that visiting superyachts will 

have an incredible experience in this 

world class marina,” he adds. 

MODERNIZING 

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When installing a wastewater management system harbor 

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number of berths and size to find the optimal system. 

The Vogelsang PierPump is a customer-oriented high-performance 

solution, which is easy to operate and allows bilge water or black 

water to be pumped directly into the sewage system. The integrated 

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Marina group 

WORLD NEWS 

expands to Spain 

GREECE: D-Marin and Spanish marina group Marinas del Mediterranéo have 

announced a partnership that will bring three marinas into D-Marin’s premium 

marina network. 

Puerto Deportivo de Estepona, 

Puerto Marina La Duquesa and Puerto 

Marina del Este, all located on the 

Costa del Sol, offer a total of 1,000 

berths and are the first in Spain to join 

the D-Marin network. 

D-Marin CEO, Oliver Dörschuck, 

said: “We’re delighted to be forming 

this new partnership with Marinas 

del Mediterranéo, which promises to 

be a highly successful one. This is a 

milestone in our strategy to expand into 

the Western Mediterranean, with more 

Mooring 

Post 

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Highlights from February/March: 

• Cyprus: Upgrade for Paphos 


• UK: Waterfront plans for 

Southampton’s Town Quay 

• Seychelles: EOI for Praslin marina 

• Australia: Crediting ‘superyachtready’ 

marinas 

• Bahamas: Heads of Agreement for 

Harbour Island and Torch Cay 

• Saudi Arabia: Construction starts 

on Jeddah Central 

• USA: Forest Development in 

further Florida bids 


marinas to come.” 

Jose Carlos Martin, founder of 

Marinas del Mediterranéo, added: 

“Partnering with D-Marin was an 

easy decision for us as we are very 

aligned in our desire to exceed our 

customers’ expectations, especially in 

digital capabilities, thereby becoming 

part of the international D-Marin sales 

network. Welcoming D-Marin to Spain 

and working together for our customers’ 

benefit is our key focus now and for 

many years to come.” 

Suntex 

adds NJ 

and AZ 

marinas 

USA: Suntex Marina Investors has 

acquired Fair Haven Yacht Works 

in Fair Haven, New Jersey and 

Roosevelt Lake Marina in Roosevelt, 

Arizona. 

Fair Haven Yacht Works is a familyoriented, 

full-service marina located on 

the scenic Navesink River. It is a safe, 

secure and protected facility with four 

docks offering 81 slips for boats of 15 to 

55ft (4.5 to 17m) in length and a large 

mooring field. 

Situated on approximately 70 acres 

(28ha), Roosevelt Lake Marina offers 

guests the finest amenities in the area 

including wet storage, dry storage, on 

site dining, fuel sales, boat rentals, tent 

sites with power and 35 RV pad sites 

with full hook-ups. Its 258 wet slips and 

146 covered and uncovered dry storage 

spaces can accommodate vessels 

ranging from 30 to 55ft (9 to 17m). It is 

the only marina on the lake. 

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WORLD NEWS 

Port 32 buys 

Lighthouse Point 

USA: Port 32 Marinas has purchased Lighthouse Point Marina on the 

Intracoastal Waterway, one of South Florida’s most admired waterfront 

properties. It is the first marina acquisition by the new Port 32 leadership team. 

“Lighthouse Point Marina is a special 

lifestyle property in an extraordinary 

location, tucked just inside the clear 

Atlantic waters of the Hillsboro Inlet. 

Here at Port 32, we love cruising with 

friends and family, saltwater fishing and 

ice-cold drinks on the waterfront, which 

makes Lighthouse Point a perfect fit for 

our growing portfolio of premier coastal 

marinas,” said Austin Schnell, the new 

CEO of Port 32 Marinas. 

With 102 wet slips for boats of 25 

to 80ft (8 to 24m) and a large popular 

restaurant with six visitor slips, the 

marina has been family-owned and 

operated for over 50 years and never 

been up for sale. 

Julie Fisher Berry and Sheila Roux 

of CBRE represented Lighthouse Point 

for the sale. “The owners have built 

a loyal customer base by providing 

great service, operating an excellent 

restaurant, and keeping the marina in 

impeccable condition,” Fisher Berry 

said. “CBRE is honoured to have 

represented the owners and identified 

the buyer of this high-profile marina 

property.” 

“Lighthouse Point Marina has been 

owned and operated by one family, the 

Spieker family, for over half a century,” 

added Maureen Canada, co-owner 

and former president of the marina. “As 

second-generation owner-operators, it 

was important for us to find a buyer that 

will respect what we have created and 

retain our staff and family culture with 

the intention of maintaining and even 

improving the site with time. We believe 

we have found that buyer with Port 32 

Marinas.” 

With the addition of Lighthouse Point, 

Port 32 seeks to grow its family of 

marinas within Florida and to expand 

strategically into new markets along the 

Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico. 

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WORLD NEWS 

Upgrade 

approved 

for Jones 

Bay 

AUSTRALIA: Sydney’s Heritagelisted 

Jones Bay Marina has 

received council approval for an 

upgrade. The move will address the 

shortage of marina berths for large 

vessels in Sydney Harbour and see 

significant capital poured into the 

harbourside marina over the course 

of the year. 

The unanimous decision by Council 

and the local planning panel has been 

welcomed by marina owners Toga 

Group and management alike, and 

will see a raft of essential upgrades 

including the installation of new floating 

pontoon berths and a custom-designed 

floating office; improvements to power 

and water supply; and essential 

upgrades to the marina’s amenities 

block and changing rooms. 

Jones Bay Marina’s general 

manager, Nairn Johnston CMM, said 

the Australian superyacht industry 

was currently in a growth period and 

the upgrades couldn’t have come at a 

better time. 

“As many will know, 

getting planning approval on 

Sydney Harbour is a long and 

laborious process,” he said. “So 

this news is a great outcome 

for both local and visiting 

yachts to Sydney Harbour; 

for the large superyachts 

who frequent it due to its 

proximity to the CBD; and for 

all the trades, businesses and 

suppliers that support and 

service the vessels that berth 

at our marina.” 

Johnston said the Jones 

Bay Marina team couldn’t have 

achieved this favourable result 

without input from a range of 

stakeholders, including Ethos 

Urban and Copley Marine. 

Rebuild underway at 

Club marina 

CANADA: The National Yacht Club in Toronto is investing nearly $5 million in 

a new aluminium floating marina system to replace its ageing infrastructure. 

Manufactured at Poralu Marine’s dates back to 1890, is one of 

Canadian production site and to be Canada’s oldest marinas and is widely 

delivered as a turnkey project, the recognised for its inclusive approach 

durable, high quality aluminium dock to teaching sailing. It has a highly 

arrangement has been designed for active community of amateur sailors 

optimum use of space while remaining and has hosted a number of major 

in keeping with the high-end sporting competitions. 

spirit of the club. The moorings will suit When the renovation is complete, 

a range of modern boats, including moorings for 214 boats will have been 

motor vessels and catamarans. 

created. Delivery is scheduled for May 

The National Yacht Club, which 2023. 


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PLANNING & DESIGN 

CGI of the proposed Green Marina Club 

at Ismailia. 

Mahmoud El Kady 

Ismailia Yacht Marina: 

a key player in the new 

era of the Suez Canal 

With its “Green Marina” project 

spanning 25,000m² (269,000ft²), 

complete with moorings, hotels and 

commercial areas, Ismailia Yacht 

Marina is set to play a significant 

role in the renewed Suez Canal. 

The project is one of the measures 

implemented by Egypt to reduce 

carbon emissions and promote the 

use of renewable and alternative 

energy sources, as part of the 

National Climate Strategy 2050. 

Donatella Zucca reports 

Egypt is committed to developing 

integrated strategies for yachting and the 

environment, including the construction 

of marinas and 

suitable moorings 

along its coastline: 

approximately 

995km (618mi) on 

the Mediterranean; 

1,941km (1,206mi) 

on the Red Sea; and 

a good 72km (45mi) 

along the international 

waterway of the Suez 

Canal. 

The Red Sea is an 

increasingly popular 

tourist destination. 

Nikolaos Patsiokas 

Since 2021, Egypt has been 

implementing a national regime aimed 

at increasing the efficiency of ports 

and marinas, and building new ones in 

areas considered important for tourism. 

The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) 

already uses innovative automated 

procedures for yachts entering and 

leaving the marinas located along the 

Canal, including Port Said, Port Ismailia 

and Port Tawfiq (Suez). There are plans 

for an 850m (2,790ft) tourist walkway, a 

75-berth marina in Port Said, expansion 

of Ismailia’s marina from 12 to 65 

berths, and the future Green Marina. 

In 2022, Egypt launched its first 

online digital platform for yachting, 

allowing owners and yacht managers 

to send necessary data and documents 

to apply for entry, pay fixed fees on 

municipal berths, passenger terminals 

and tourist ports, and receive invoices 

in a timely manner. 

16 www.marinaworld.com – March/April 2023


Right & below: Pontoon arrangement for 

Ismailia’s Green Marina. 

The journey along the Suez 

Canal from Port Said to Port 

Tawfiq (Suez) offers breathtaking 

scenery, with the desert and Sinai 

peninsula on one side, and the 

lands of the Nile delta on the other. 

The Mediterranean and Red Seas, 

combined with Egypt’s extensive 

coastline and beautiful beaches, 

offer exciting development 

opportunities. 

The Suez Green Canal strategy 

includes a commitment towards a 

green turnaround of the country’s 

sea and navigation, with the use of 

hybrid, solar and wind energy being 

prioritised, along with the creation 

of 16 traffic monitoring stations, and 

collection and recycling of the solid 

and liquid waste from ships in transit. 

Studies on new fuels and the smart use 

of new technologies are also underway. 

This strategy, which started in 2018, 

has been highly praised by Georgios 

Plevrakis, vice president of global 

sustainability at American Bureau of 

Shipping (ABS), the IMO’s Marine 

Environment Division, and other 

large maritime organisations. Maersk 

International is set to support Egypt in 

its mega green energy development 

projects, launching 19 ‘eco’ ships 

between 2024 and 2025 that will lead 

to a reduction of 2 million tons of CO 2 

emissions. The first vessel is due to 

transit the canal this year. 

In 2021, the Suez Canal helped 

reduce CO 2 emissions by 31 million 

tons compared to alternative routes, 

and increased efficiency is also a 

focus. A second parallel canal is under 

construction from markers km 60 to 

km 95, along with the deepening and 

widening of the ring roads of the Great 

Bitter and Ballah Lakes, to streamline 

traffic and double transits. 

Green marina 

Ismailia Yacht Marina will be Egypt’s 

first green marina, and is the latest in 

a series of initiatives aimed at reducing 

carbon emissions, promoting the use 

of renewable energy sources, and 

using alternative energy forms such 

as green hydrogen. Currently serving 

as an overnight stopover for yachts in 

transit on the Canal, the Yacht Marina 

is undergoing upgrades to improve 

facilities and infrastructure, as a prelude 

to the creation of its Green Marina for 

superyachts. Located on the western 

shore of Lake Timsah, halfway along 

the Suez Canal and near the town of 

Ismailia, it is in a strategic position 

connecting with tourist destinations 

such as the Mediterranean and the Red 

Sea, including Hurghada and Sharm 

el Sheikh (450km/280mi away), Port 

Ghalib (600km/370mi away) and others. 

According to the Suez Canal 

Authority (SCA) tourism team, Ismailia 

Yacht Marina is the first of three yacht 

reception centres affiliated with the 

SCA that are expected to be developed 

and transformed into world-class 

marinas. It is an important part of the 

overall development project, whose 

pillars are the digital transformation of 

most processes through a platform that 

allows online bookings, calculation of 

transit tolls for the canal, knowledge of 

mooring fees and tourist programmes. 

The development strategy includes 

a range of services, such as an on-site 

petrol station, supply of drinking water 

and electricity, toilets, launderette, 

restaurant, maintenance, boat washing 

and wintering, as well as recreational 

amenities like a gym, spa, cafeterias, 

and free Wi-Fi connection. It is crucial to 

ensure that this marina becomes a onestop-shop 

for completing the necessary 

paperwork for vessels in transit. In fact, 

in the yacht transit process, it is and 

will be a mandatory stop, unlike Port 

Said and Port Tawfiq (Suez) where 

it is optional, and where work for the 

respective yacht clubs will soon begin. 

Construction of the Green Marina 

superyacht marina, which will use 

only renewable and alternative forms 

of energy, including green hydrogen, 

is underway and should be ready 

within the next two years. It is an 

important piece of the puzzle to attract 

international players and will bring 

tourists closer to the various cultural 

facets of the Mediterranean and the 

Red Sea. 

Since 2019, Red Sea Week has been 

the world’s number one yacht event for 

high-net-worth individuals. In Port Said 

and Port Tawfiq, European companies 


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There are currently limited mooring options 

in Ismailia. The Green Marina will greatly 

enhance its destination appeal. 

are building infrastructure and have 

offices and products such as travel lifts, 

floating or fixed pontoons, cranes, and 

more. 

Transiting the Canal 

The Egypt-based service agency of 

BWA Yachting is strategically positioned 

to assist vessels transiting the canal. Did 

the company choose the Suez Canal 

because of its planned developments or 

because of the number of its customers 

that cruise through? 

“BWA Yachting has been assisting 

loyal customers in Egypt and through 

the Suez Canal via trusted sub-agents, 

for more than a decade. Like Gibraltar, 

Egypt is a gateway to the Med, and the 

Suez Canal is the shortest and safest 

route between the Mediterranean and 

the Red Sea,” explained BWA Yachting 

chief operating officer Nikolaos 

Patsiokas. “Over the last five years, we 

have experienced a steady increase 

in the frequency of the requests and 

crossing operations. A clear pattern is 

emerging in the greater region and it 

is in our DNA to anticipate the needs 

of our customers at all levels and act 

accordingly.” 

This growth will further increase 

when Port Said and Port Tawfiq offer 

the same basic characteristics as 

Ismailia, in terms of boat and guest 

reception and eco-friendly approach. 

“Egypt’s vision to boost yachting in this 

region is in line with the directives of 

Egypt’s President El Sisi to promote 

yachting tourism,” noted Mahmoud El 

Kady, managing partner BWA Yachting 

Egypt. 

“Egypt wants to position itself as an 

emerging magnet for nautical tourism 

on a global scale. The Mediterranean 

Transiting the 

193km/120 mile long Suez Canal. 

is a hot spot for this sector and we 

have tourist places near historical and 

touristic cities, and prime and popular 

diving spots for marine sports. Egypt 

is also particularly popular with our 

friends in the GCC (Arabian Gulf) and 

yachting provides a great window to 

double the number of those visiting the 

Red Sea. It should also be noted that 

Egypt is giving considerable attention 

to promoting maritime tourism through 

offering incentives to vessels that stop 

at an Egyptian port, including the canal 

yacht reception centres of Port Said, 

Ismailia and Suez.” 

And there is more to come. BWA has 

signed a partnership with Kadmar, the 

main port agent for the Suez Canal and 

a platform for yachting, offshore marine, 

brokerage, travel services and much 

more throughout Egypt and elsewhere. 

El Kady explained that via this 

partnership, the team is able to take 

the administrative burden away from 

captains and management companies 

by offering the following services: Suez 

Canal transit, bunkering, fresh provision 

and supplies, husbandry services, 

spare parts delivery, port and marina 

arrangements, anti-piracy security 

services, parcel and courier services 

and tourism arrangements. 

Also, as a reflection of the demands 

of a growing business, BWA Yachting 

has announced the official opening of 

new offices in Egypt. From the head 

office in Alexandria and branches 

in Cairo, Port Said, Damietta, Suez, 

Sokhna and Safaga on the Red Sea, 

the agency operations can cover over 

13 ports and marinas across the Red 

Sea and Mediterranean coastline, 

including Alamein, Marassi, Sharm El 

Sheikh, Hurgada, Gouna, Marsa, Alam 

and others. 

With the online platform aimed at 

facilitating transit via the canal recently 

launched and subject to continuous 

improvement, and agencies such 

as BWA working round the clock to 

assist with yacht transit, is the canal a 

destination or just functional? 

“Small yachts normally need to fuel 

up at Port Said or Suez before heading 

to the Arabian Gulf or the Maldives, 

etc,” El Kady confirmed. “Some yachts 

stay at their yachting destinations 

in Egypt, such as Marassi Marina, 

located by the amazing North Egyptian 

coast, and others prefer Sharm El 

Sheikh, known to be the best for diving 

activities.” 

And what are the most requested 

services by customers crossing the 

Canal and heading into the marinas? 

“In this order: transiting the Suez 

Canal – 193km (120mi) and a duration 

of 12-16 hrs – fuel supply, provisions 

and security services.” 


19


CGI of Marina Arcipelago Toscano di 

Piombino. Below: Ingemar pontoons have 

already been installed. 

A nautical tourism 

centre for Piombino 

The Marina Arcipelago Toscano di Piombino project is a courageous Italian 

initiative co-financed by the Regional Programme Fund for Underdeveloped 

Areas 2007/2013 and supported by the Tuscany Region. Its aim is to help 

transform an abandoned area into an eco-friendly nautical reception centre. 

Donatella Zucca reports 

Barring unforeseen difficulties, 

Marina Arcipelago Toscano is set to 

open in Piombino by 2024 as a large 

marina proposed by the Tuscany 

Marine Consortium and the Porto della 

Chiusa project. It has been signed off 

by the Piombino Municipality, Northern 

Tyrrhenian System Authority and La 

Chiusa di Pontedoro. This sociallyfocused 

cooperative is dedicated to the 

construction and management of ports, 

marinas and tourist ports. 

The project encompasses 

20ha (49 acres) of water and 

23ha (56.8 acres) of land, 

including spaces for fishing 

and fishermen, areas for 

marine environment studies, 

water sports and local 

leisure. The concessionaire, 

promoter and operator 

is La Chiusa Pontedoro 

cooperative. 

The Marina Arcipelago 

Toscano project plays 

a pivotal role in the 

development of Piombino, 

providing spaces for 

shipyards, a dry port, sports 

logistics, infrastructure and nautical 

tourism services. It also includes a 

breakwater built from natural boulders, 

a large pier made of sheet piles and a 

series of floating pontoons and fingers. 

The latter have been designed by 

Ingemar, winner of an international 

tender for the design, construction and 

installation of all floating structures. 

A Temporary Business Association, 

headed by Modimar SpA, is supervising 

the design and construction, while 

the dredging and sea works are being 

carried out by Sales SpA. 

The marina can accommodate 656 

boats of 8 to 20m (26 to 66ft) in length, 

moored at large pontoons anchored 

by poles driven into the seabed and 

served by fingers of various lengths. 

The sea part of the project is at an 

advanced stage of construction, with 

the dredging works, protective piers 

and backbone pier already completed. 

The piers and fingers for the first 

section are being installed on the east 

side of the port, and moorings should 

be complete in spring 2023. Further 

dredging will be required for the second 

section, with the piers scheduled to be 

completed by the end of 2023 and early 

2024. 

The floating structures are made of 

reinforced heavy-duty aluminium alloy, 

with concrete floats and exotic timber 

decking. The site also includes 47 

berths for local professional fishermen, 

ten for non-local transit and 20 for the 

shipbuilding area, which covers about 

9ha (22 acres). There are 100 berths 

for very small boats and 94 berths for 

sports, environmental, cultural and 

charter activities. Beautiful facilities 

for services and nautical tourism are 

currently being developed. 

The major hurdle for Marina 

Arcipelago is its proximity to a new 

gas pipeline. A huge Floating Storage 

Regasification Unit (FSRU) ship is to be 

located in the port of Piombino, almost 

1km (0.6mi) away, with a pipeline 

running 66m (217ft) from the dam and 

more than 7m (23ft) under the seabed, 

as confirmed by La Chiusa 

president Lio Bastianini. 

Despite the nearby nature 

reserves and future aims to 

make the area even more 

eco-oriented, no eco-impact 

study has been conducted for 

pressing national reasons. The 

regasification planners and 

managers give assurance that 

there is no need to fear the 

pipeline, chlorine discharge 

into the sea, a drop in water 

temperature, or accidents. The 

mayor has appealed the plan 

to the Regional Administrative 

Court, but with no success due 

to force majeure. 


21

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Becoming a master 

at planning marinas 

by Fabien Loy, Buro Happold 

The process of creating a marina can be complex, and a wide range of 

parameters should be considered to make it fit into its local “habitat”. In 

developed countries with mature boating markets, most marina projects 

represent upgrades or extension works, while in regions like the Middle East, 

opportunities for greenfield projects are more common and lend themselves to 

becoming new visitor hubs and attraction centres. 

The team at Buro Happold is well 

versed in the planning of waterfront 

developments, and has a strong portfolio 

of iconic international marina projects, 

including Hayle Harbour, Folkestone 

Harbour and Red Sea mega projects. 

Our strengths lie in the understanding of 

architect visions and client expectations, 

with the integration of technical experts 

at the early stages of the design 

(planning, infrastructure, environment, 

coastal engineering, mobility, advisory 

services and sustainability). 

Working closely with our dedicated 

planning team has been an eye 

opener in terms of the benefits of 

using planning tools and benchmarks 

to support marina planning on land 

and in water. This different approach 

to the more traditional supply and 

demand assessment can unlock 

feasibility studies and help kick start 

the conversation with clients and 

stakeholders rapidly. 

Marina typologies 

The innovative approach we have 

developed as part of Middle East 

marina development projects is the 

concept of typology. While some 

consultants consider the siting of the 

marina (e.g. island, inland, exposed 

coastline, sheltered area), or the 

size of the marina, for instance small 

(60 and 260 berths) as 

their key parameter, we focus on the 

marina strategy and its future upland 

use, guided by property and investment 

advisors. 

From a large number of successful 

marinas worldwide, we defined six 

categories of marina typology as 

presented in the tables (right). Each 

typology is represented by four to ten 

benchmarks matching the criteria set 

per typology in terms of key land use, 

activities proposed, marine facilities and 

existing berth mix. The selection process 

is being refined, and new benchmarks 

are constantly added to enhance our 

model based on discussions with 

operators and advisors. 

Key indicator values have been 

extracted from the benchmarks to 

generate planning guidelines, as shown 

in the table (p.27) where average 

values are adopted. Hillary’s Yacht Club 

is illustrated as a city hub example. 

Starting from given project 

boundaries (water and land areas) and 

a typology selected by the client based 

on upland aspirations, the number of 

berths and landslide zoning allocations 

can then be determined using our 

defined ratio and percentages. 

Saving space 

Space is a key challenge as part of 

most planning exercises, to support the 

financial performance of a project and 

also to allow for sufficient circulation 

areas and suitable access. This is 

particularly true of brownfield projects 

where opportunities to increase site 

boundaries are usually limited. Trends 

for larger yachts and the need for 

better facilities and amenities lead to 

space constraints in areas which are 

often of high property value. Several 

opportunities can be considered as 

follows: 

• Turning parking into a multi-storey car 

park or introducing an underground 

car park 

• Incorporating a drystack to increase 

the total number of boats (provided 

sufficient land area is available) 

• Smart mooring systems, such as 

Typologies Residential City Hub Luxury 

Definition 

Examples 

Moorings linked 

to property, either 

directly or through 

rights. Increases 

overall value of real 

estate. 

Port Grimaud (FRA), 

Sanctuary Cove (AUS), 

Miami, Florida (US), 

Nakheel Marinas 

(UAE) 


Focal point for city or 

town. Becomes anchor 

for Food & Beverage 

outlets, hospitality 

services. 

Portofino (ITA), Dubai 

Marina (UAE), Hillary’s 

Yacht Club (AUS), Port 

de Cannes (FRA) 

Internationally known 

destination for 

superyachts. Becomes 

hub for wider luxury 

offering and exclusive 

clubs. 

Port Hercule (MON), 

Bulgari Resort (UAE), 

Yas Marina (UAE), Port 

de Saint Tropez (FRA) 

Typologies Commercial Light Deployment Resort 

Definition 

Examples 

Linked to businesses 

such as tour boats, 

water sports, ferries 

or fishing harbours. 

Catalyst for economic 

activity. 

Al Seef (UAE), 

Salthouse Docks (UK), 

Brighton (UK), 

For sheltered 

destinations or 

large developments 

attracting seasonal 

visitors. Simplified 

layouts with cost 

efficient installation. 

White Bay 6 Marine 

Park (AUS), Corfu Town 

Yacht Harbour (GRE), 

Port Washington Yacht 

Club (US) 

Elevates real estate by 

providing opportunity 

for boat usage with 

property. Offers 

wide range of beach 

activities and water 

sports to visitors. 

Abu Tig (EGY), Sunset 

Beach Resort (KSA), 

Porto Carras Grand 

Resort (GRE). Jebel Ali 

Resort (UAE) 


23

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L to r: Port de St Tropez in the South of France is an example of the ‘luxury’ typology in the Buro Happold concept; Port Grimaud, France is a 

perfect example of ‘Residential’ marina; and the marina in the UAE fits the ‘Commercial’ typology. Photos: Fabien Loy 

Poralu’s Mobi-Deck grid system, an 

innovative mooring management 

system 

• Placing some of the facilities and 

assets on piled structures or floating 

platforms (when water area is 

available) 

The drystack option nowadays 

appears more and more frequently in 

projects, to reduce the size of the marina 

basin and offer more economical rates 

to users. Various solutions are available 

and new innovative concepts, such as 

Blue Ring and Automated Storage and 

Retrieval (ASAR) systems, are being 

tested and implemented across the 

globe to help meet growing demands. 

When brainstorming with a client, we 

started imagining a concept of a multipurpose 

drystack, where part would 

be for boats and part for cars as an 

integrated solution for users. 

Smart approach 

Using our planning tool, with defined site 

boundaries and selection of typologies, 

we can rapidly start drawing the berthing 

area and the upland development. 

This tool is also being customised with 

other parties to assist in the generation 

of high-level cost estimates whereby, 

following the same process, project 

boundaries combined with a set 

typology can suffice to establish initial 

capital and operational costs as an order 

of magnitude. This model can therefore 

guide clients as part of feasibility studies 

by fast tracking the ‘optioneering’ 

process and testing different concepts. 

Design guidelines (such as PIANC, 

Australian Standards and The Yacht 

Harbour Association Code) are key to 

validating the geometry of the berthing 

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Water area 

per berth (m2) 

Land to water 

ratio 

% Residential % F&B & 

Retail 

% Hospitality % Marine 

facilities 

% 

Infrastructure 

and Parking 

Residential 325 55% / 45% 36 12 14 8 18 12 

Commercial 250 48% / 52% 12 23 11 18 26 10 

City Hub 225 52% / 48% 9 21 11 20 25 14 

Luxury 425 56% / 44% 13 18 11 16 26 16 

Light 

375 58% / 42% - - - 50 29 21 

Deployment 

Resort 400 72% / 28% 7 6 45 6 12 24 

Key indicator values are extracted from the benchmarks 

to generate planning guidelines. Values can be subject 

to interpretation for landside boundaries and constant 

evolution of upland development. 

area once a marina option is taken forward. 

Refined market analysis related to boating 

activities (with supply and demand assessment) 

and detailed property market studies still represent 

great tools to support clients further in their decision 

process and financial appraisal. This innovative 

methodology is seen as a different way to approach 

the challenge from a blank canvas where land and 

water combine from the start. 

Fabien Loy, associate engineer at Buro Happold, is 

based in the Dubai office. 

E: fabien.loy@burohappold.com 

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FAMILY-RUN MARINAS 

Support for local 

businesses 

The Guest Comment article ‘Marinas and takeovers – enough room for 

boating?’ published in November/December 2022 (Issue No. 134), while in no 

way dismissing the very important industry role of large marina groups, made 

a strong case for the simpler, less luxury-based marina offering that is more 

likely to be found at a family-run marina. 

The ‘no frills’ approach is a far cry 

from zero-amenity; the service is very 

personal and professional; and, as the 

owners expect future generations to 

directly benefit from investment in the 

property, a more flexible approach can 

be taken when undertaking projects as 

they do not necessarily require a swift 

return. 

Marina owners and their customers 

give us interesting feedback: 

Jean-Michel Gaigné CMM, InXs 

Marinas, France: 

I fully understand the author’s 

testimony. There is a race in the marina 

industry towards ultimate luxury and 

services that seems never ending. 

Marina offers must be targeted to 

different types of customers, and 

those who have less money and fewer 

expectations must not be forgotten. 

Boating must remain accessible and 

affordable for everybody, and there 

are boaters who don’t need a fitness 

centre or a concierge service, but 

just a sheltered berth, freshwater and 

electricity. That’s why the certifications 

and the accolades delivered to the 

marinas are very useful. A 3-Gold 

Anchor marina will probably satisfy 

certain customers, while wealthy yacht 

owners may look to premium and fully 

integrated service. 

In France, most of the marinas 

just deliver essential services – even 

sometimes basic. It doesn’t mean 

that the berth holder cannot find 

supplementary benefits to enrich his 

experience, but these services must 

be paid in addition and often provided 

by third parties. It is the role of the 

marina operator to link between the 

local ecosystem and the boater’s 

expectations since there is always a 

swimming pool, gourmet restaurant, 

tennis court or a golf course in the 

surroundings to address the desires of 

every berth holder. 

Wade Eldean CMM, Eldean Shipyard 

& Marina, MI, USA: 

I enjoyed your editorial on marinas and 

takeovers as we are one of the Mom 

and Pops that are still around. I put the 

article on our Facebook page and got 

some comments: 

Dan D: 

I get worried every time local is 

replaced by a ‘conglomeration’. I like 

knowing the owner and manager of 

the business I support. I like seeing 

an owner take pride in their business. 

I prefer local family businesses when 

possible. [But] I have experienced multigenerational 

businesses that should 

have sold as it became apparent that 

the new generation didn’t appreciate 

the customer. 

I also like the extra perks of a wellrun 

marina, pool, nice clean bathrooms, 

safe docks. I also need a place where 

I can ‘tinker’ on my boat. I take great 

pride in keeping my boat ship shape. 

I will also need help from time to time 

when I just don’t have the time or 

expertise to do the project. 

Debra B: 

As new boaters back in 2019, a family 

owned marina like Eldeans was 

welcoming to us as a small, much older 

boat owner; while at the same time 

observing the variety of huge boats 

and sailboats docked amongst us in the 

same dock slips. You can tell Eldeans 

values all its customers no matter the 

sailing vessel size or age, and works 

to make every slip renter feel welcome. 

Family owned is the preferred marina 

experience. 

Michael S (MS) and Wade Eldean 

(WE): 

MS: I support local wherever/whenever 

possible. Rarely does bigger = better. 

The biggest challenges for many 

smaller/independent marina operators 

are capital investments required to stay 

relevant (not necessarily to become 

like 6 flags… but, to keep things like 

docks and facilities looking nice and in 

good repair requires some business 

discipline to budget sufficient funds) 

and transitioning of the business from 

one generation to the next. The latter 

is a common issue for any business 

going through generational change but, 

in the case of marinas, anything decent 

that comes to market will be gobbled 

up – a good solution for family not 

interested in continuing the business 

but not necessarily for the local boating 

community. 

WE: Lots of good points. Another issue 

the marine industry faces is enough 

marine techs. And relatedly, besides 

having customers that shop local, I’m 

hoping that techs/employees might 

shop local too and prefer our type of 

employer over a big corporation! It is 

really discouraging when one of the 

big guys buys a marina nearby, fires 

a bunch of the people that came with 

the marina, and then begins poaching 

employees from the other marinas 

around them. It is one of the things 

that makes boating harder these days, 

not easier. But there is some good 

movement lately to get more people 

interested and educated in working in 

the marine business. You and I know 

there’s no better place to be. 

Jason B (JB) and Wade Eldean (WE): 

JB: I will always prefer a locally owned, 

local business. I prefer to have a boat 

that might have some projects because 

I actually enjoy the projects. It is part of 

what boating is to me…value comes in 

what you put into things in life. I like a 

marina that succeeds because it does 

the same in the service it provides its 

customers. I stay at one that I perceive 

does value its customers. I highly 

doubt that the same value would be 

conveyed at a larger conglomerate 

that owned hundreds of properties 

around the country (world). It becomes 

personalised and/or forced “corporate 

engagement”. 

WE: I agree with you. As an owner, 

it’s hard to put into words the amount 

of work an owner/manager can do, or 

is able to observe the work that the 

marina has done for our boaters, when 

living on the property, and being around 

24/7. 

If you missed the November/December 

Guest Comment, you can read it online 

at www.library.marinaworld.co.uk - 2022 

- November/December - page 48. 


29

Marina World 

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Resilience, long-term vision 

and personal approach 

Melanie Symes speaks to representatives from five family-owned marinas 

within the TransEurope Marinas network to gain insight into how they survive 

and thrive. 

When TransEurope Marinas was 

first created, as Transmanche Marinas, 

the aim was to support smaller and 

often family-owned marinas, creating a 

home-from-home network to facilitate 

cruising to new destinations. 

As the association has grown, this 

group of family-owned marinas, each 

with a highly motivated second or 

even third generation at the helm, 

remains amongst the most emblematic; 

engaging actively with other managers 

and the industry community, and 

keen to share the benefits of their 

accumulative experience. Perhaps not 

surprisingly, each marina flies the Blue 

Flag and most have held the award for 

over 25 years. 

As we embrace the moral and 

civic imperative to include good 

governance, social, environmental 

and climate considerations as pillars 

of future resilience and sustainability, 

multi-generational marinas, with their 

inherently long-term perspective, have 

some particularly sage advice. 

Family representatives from 

Jachthaven Wetterwille (Loosdrecht, 

Netherlands), Marina del Cavallino 

(Venice, Italy), Puerto Calero 

(Lanzarote, Spain), Jachthaven 

Waterland, (Monnickendam, 

Netherlands), and VY Nieuwpoort 

(Belgium) share their thoughts. 

Q: What does a family-run marina destination 

mean to you, compared perhaps 

with more commercially run marinas? Is 

there a stronger company purpose and 

company culture, for example? 

CK: As a family-run marina, we have 

a more personal approach than most 

commercially run marinas. We know the 

names of almost all of our 350 berth 

holders by heart and are on a firstname 

basis with many of them. Some 

customers have had a berth in the 

marina for decades and have known 

me since I was a child. Older berth 

holders often come into the office with 

stories about my father and grandfather 

from the good old days. This adds a 

specific sort of charm. 

Puerto Calero, the first marina village 

in Lanzarote, is a luxury nautical brand 

thanks to José Juan and Daniel Calero. 

Photo: James Mitchell 

Meet the people 

Roberto Perocchio (RP) 

(Marina del Cavallino), 

is very well-known figure 

in the industry, having 

held successful leadership roles in 

his national federation and ICOMIA, 

amongst other positions. Marina 

del Cavallino, situated on private 

land, has been in his family since 

1971. “My family prepared me as a 

second-generation representative 

with a degree in law, inviting me to 

Dr Roberto Perocchio and his wife 

Dr Michela Caroli 

attend all the relevant sector-related 

congresses from an early age to 

help me understand the rules and 

trends of our business environment,” 

he says. 


31


As a family business, we also 

adhere to a different management 

style. Issues with staff or customers 

are met head-on and discussed 

openly, without the intermediaries you 

might find in commercial companies. 

Although we are a small family 

business, we do strive for the highest 

standards of service and continue to 

improve our facilities. We believe that a 

personal approach and a high level of 

professionalism can go hand in hand. 

Nienke Zetzema 

(NZ) (Jachthaven 

Waterland). Nienke is 

TransEurope’s regional 

representative for the Netherlands. 

She co-owns the two-site marina 

with her husband after taking over 

Trees Zetzema (left) and her daughter 

Nienke Zetzema. 

from her parents, who bought 

the marina in 2002. This followed 

the success of her mother, Trees 

Zetzema’s, charter company, 

founded in 1985, which had become 

a prosperous business with a fleet 

of over 18 yachts. At university at 

the time of the marina purchase, 

Nienke then spent ten years as a 

management consultant before 

stepping into the role. 

RP: The family atmosphere of the 

marina helps foment customer 

loyalty in our guests, who are mainly 

residential, and who have become 

family friends over the years. This 

long-term relationship led us to find 

a good balance between the needs 

of the company (surviving the terrible 

crisis we suffered for many years due 

to a combination of the global financial 

crisis and the luxury taxation on boats) 

and the needs of the customers, who 

on average have become less wealthy 

than in the past. 

Being a family-run marina 

destination means having a more 

direct relationship with the customer, 

who desires a round-the-clock and 

personalised service; a business 

environment where you have to be 

customer-oriented, with a strong daily 

commitment to improving your marina, 

because it’s not only a business but 

your home and life. 

On the other hand, the customers 

feel that they are in a well-kept 

paradise, a miracle connecting sea and 

land, and they count on the owners to 

protect and maintain the precious site 

in which they, too, as customers have 

also invested. 

JJC: I feel that there is a sense of 

personal commitment and passion 

in the company, affecting customers, 

employees and service-providers 

that you perhaps don’t see in more 

commercially run enterprises. Not, 

perhaps, subject to the same market 

pressure, I recognise that we have 

made significant investments with a 

very long-term perspective, anticipating 

emerging trends. Since these projects 

don’t provide an immediate return, they 

Jachthaven Wetterwille in the Netherlands 

is expertly run by Mieke Vleugels with 

the day-to-day assistance of her daughter 

Catherine Kosters. 

might not be considered as attractive or 

viable under other circumstances. 

My parents invested a huge effort 

in building personal relationships, and 

as the second generation, there’s a 

great sense of continuity since many 

customers that continue to visit the 

marina first arrived to be greeted by 

my father. This longevity is clearly 

appreciated and the level of trust 

generated over the decades is also a 

benefit when it comes to working with 

the local authorities on new projects. 

NZ: For me it means focusing on 

the long term. We have employees 

who have been working for us for 

over 15 years, charter clients with 

us since the beginning and berth 

holders who basically grew up here 

at the harbour. We want to offer a full 

service to our clients, with a focus on 

customer satisfaction. Being a new 

business also inspired us to engage 

in topical innovations, such as our 

work with electric sloops 20 years ago. 

Unfortunately, the batteries of 2002 are 

not the same as those available in 2022 

and the start-up was very problematic. 

We are also very keen on seeking 

collaboration with other companies, 

such as the Dutch Charter Association. 

We are also one of the founders of 

the IJsselmeerhavens network, which 

promotes boating between member 

harbours. We received our ninth Green 

Pennant this season, together with the 

Blue Flag as a reward for our corporate 

responsibility. 



The management of VY Nieuwpoort in 

Belgium passes from father to son as 

Steven Desloovere retires this year leaving 

Maarten fully at the helm. 

dynamic, just like sailing. Each day is 

new, and each client is different – but 

inherently with the same end goal – to 

be able to go out and enjoy boating. 

Our job then is to try and make that 

happen. 

When we have internal conflicts, I 

want to solve them asap. The business 

we are in is dynamic and if we don’t 

talk about it or avoid it, it will implode. 

But this is the style my family practices: 

MD: People are very happy with a warm 

welcome and a friendly atmosphere; 

they want to feel at home in their 

marina or yacht club. I think this is the 

most important difference between the 

two. 

Q: How does the family working 

dynamic enrich the overall quality 

of services offered at the marina? 

What do you bring to the table as 

separate individuals with different life 

experiences? How do you manage 

internal conflicts? 

CK: The fact that we have different 

generations working at our marina 

gives us a great advantage, in my 

opinion. My mother brings her vast 

experience and know-how to the table, 

while I try to bring a level of digital 

innovation to the marina. We both have 

different, yet complementary visions for 

the company. 

Whilst my mother has the final say in 

everything that goes on in the marina 

and oversees structural improvements 

including the gradual refurbishment 

and replacement of our pontoons, I 

manage our website, social media 

and newsletter, as well as our digital 

booking systems and applications. We 

are in constant debate about possible 

improvements but face any conflicts 

head-on. These situations sometimes 

lead to heated discussions – as in any 

family – but, more often than not, to 

good solutions. 

RP: As an individual owning a marina, 

I try to ignite passion and long-term 

commitment in the business, acting not 

only inside the marina, but in national 

and international marina owners’ 

organisations, to exchange best 

ideas and practices, lower taxes and 

concession fees when possible; making 

pleasure boating more accessible 

via better regulations. In a family-run 

business the only big threat can be 

internal conflicts, but if decisions are 

carefully and deeply discussed among 

family members, good sense prevails. 

We are now working on our third 

generation; involving the children so as 

to garner their interest and passion for 

the company and have a vision for its 

future opportunities of modification and 

growth. 

JJC: Rather than a change in 

leadership, I think this is more a 

question of an evolution. We share my 

father’s values and vision, and so our 

final choices are aligned. I gratefully 

acknowledge and appreciate the level 

of trust and commitment our parents 

invested in us, allowing us to make 

crucial decisions independently and, in 

consequence, gain key understanding 

quickly. 

NZ: My parents were the entrepreneurs 

who started the charter company and 

bought the harbour. They saw the 

opportunities that made our company 

flourish. My husband’s and my roles 

focus more on specific segments 

and ensuring that it all contributes 

to the whole picture. In terms of 

responsibilities, I run operations with 

my team of 17 staff, and my husband 

Kees does strategy, acquisitions and 

contracts. 

Being a family and focusing on the 

long term we can make decisions quite 

rapidly. The environment we work in is 

Mieke Vleugels and 

Catherine Kosters 

(CK) (Jachthaven 

Wetterwille): With a 

minimal background in the nautical 

field, Mieke took over the family 

marina, (owned since 1960 but 

established over a century ago in 

1912), and boatbuilding company 

Catherine Kosters (left) and 

Mieke Vleugels. 

first owned by her father-in-law, after 

the untimely passing of her husband. 

Despite her lack of experience, she 

made the marina flourish through 

a combination of hard work and 

pioneering spirit, selling the on-site 

Dutch sloop business and investing 

in many innovations in the marina, 

such as a heated hangar with 

drystack system, the first in the 

region, and visitor accommodation 

including a green roof with room 

for tents. A firm believer in the 

power of global cooperation, she 

is part of various associations, is 

a highly regarded assessor for the 

prestigious Gold Anchor Scheme 

and is consequently one of the most 

inspirational female role models in 

this sector. Her daughter Catherine, 

the eldest of three, combines her 

job as a freelance journalist with a 

position at the marina, where she 

assists her mother in the day-to-day 

management. 


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Jachthaven Waterland is a two-site marina 

in the Netherlands run by Nienke Zetzema 

and her husband Kees. 

we don’t avoid conflict and are used to 

talking about it. 

MD: Over the last 32 years, Steven 

was able to undertake a considerable 

amount of development due to the 

spirit of the age. I am now faced with 

another reality so there are new and 

other challenges in the business. We 

share common standards and values. 

Conflicts are handled very discretely; 

familiarity and mutual respect are key 

to being able to listen to each other and 

find good solutions. 

Q: These last couple of years have 

delivered a remarkable volley of major 

challenges. How have you managed? 

CK: The pandemic was a challenging 

time to say the least. While marinas 

in many parts of the world had to shut 

down, the Dutch Government adopted 

a laissez-faire attitude and left this 

decision up to the different regions 

and municipalities. We were allowed to 

stay open, but our facilities (including 

the office and sanitary blocks) were 

not. With airports, restaurants, bars 

and other places of leisure closed, the 

marina became the only get-away for 

the Dutch. 

This presented many problems. With 

the lavatories closed by government 

rule, we quickly built an outdoor toilet 

and water tap to meet the basic needs 

of our customers. With the office closed 

(except for a window through which we 

communicated), digital communication 

became more important. We posted 

regular updates on our website and 

social media about the ever-changing 

COVID guidelines. We trained our 

staff to work with social distancing in 

place and we lowered the rent for our 

restaurant tenants by 50%, thus helping 

them to stay afloat during lockdown. 

At our marina, the biggest trend is the 

influx of new boating customers since 

the start of the pandemic. The Dutch 

are a sea-faring people, and the few 

of them that didn’t own a boat do now! 

Our waiting list is longer than ever, so 

long in fact that we had to stop new 

applications altogether. While this is a 

welcome evolution, we still face many 

challenges including dealing with the 

worldwide price surge of both material 

and labour, which makes bridging the 

gap of income lost during the pandemic 

all the more difficult. 

Sustainability has always been a 

priority for us. We have been a Blue 

Flag marina since 1995 and have 

been awarded the Green Pennant 

as one of the most environmentally 

friendly marinas in the country. When 

it comes to trends like boat-sharing, 

we embrace these while staying 

slightly wary because they may also 

lead to overcrowding and an influx of 

boaters with little experience. We try 

to educate our customers as best we 

can, both in terms of marina rules and 

boating etiquette. Social media are a 

part of our communication strategy, 

José Juan Calero 

(JJC) (Puerto Calero) is 

currently managing 

director of a group of 

three (soon to be four) marinas in 

the Canary Islands. He inherited 

the role from his father, who built 

Lanzarote’s first marina village, 

Puerto Calero, (founded in 1983), 

based on an inspired vision after 

visiting marinas in the US. As 

keen sailors and water-sports 

enthusiasts, José Juan and his 

brother Daniel share their father’s 

energy and determination, bringing 

top-level racing and cruising events 

to the islands, and creating a luxury 

nautical brand. 


37


Steven and Maarten 

Desloovere (MD) (VY 

Nieuwpoort). The Club 

was founded 50 years 

ago and Steven has held the role 

of general manager for 32 years. 

He retires this year. Reluctant to 

shoehorn his son Maarten into 

Maarten Desloovere 

the management role despite 

recognising his suitability, he carried 

out a series of external interviews 

to find a new manager. Struggling to 

find the right candidate, he passed 

the decision on to the board of 

Marina del Cavallino in Italy, in Roberto Perocchio’s family since 1971, enjoys tremendous 

customer loyalty with many berth holders now family friends. 

but in recent years, we have noticed 

that our customers – both young and 

old – mostly come to the waterfront to 

disconnect. We believe that our family 

marina, that has been here for more 

than a century but has far from stood 

still, is the perfect place to do just that. 

RP: All marinas have been required 

to modify their business model in the 

last ten years, according to a new 

generation of customers, some of 

whom are more interested in chartering 

boats, while others ask for dry storage 

services, and a good number have less 

money to spend on boating than their 

parents. 

Competition among marinas has 

become stronger because of a quickly 

growing offer (42 new marinas have 

been built in the Mediterranean in 

the last ten years, in the middle of a 

financial crisis that reduced the number 

of actual and potential customers), but 

paradoxically, COVID-19 has proven 

that boating is still one of the safest and 

healthiest vacations, providing social 

distancing, freedom and fun. Even the 

youngest generation, who seemed 

to be only interested in long distance 

travel by plane, has rediscovered the 

pleasure of boating, and that makes us 

more confident about the future. 

JJC: I won’t disagree that recent years 

have been very complicated. We have 

had to adapt quickly to a changing 

market and modernise accordingly. 

Having strong and aligned core values 

however has helped the process and 

our customers have remained loyal 

throughout, which is much appreciated. 

The qualities of this destination for 

boating means that, luckily, it is the 

gift that keeps on giving and so the 

pleasure that our customers derive 

from visiting the islands is always a 

fantastic boost. 

NZ: We worked hard during COVID to 

keep spirits up by sending out clear 

and frequent bulletins to our customers 

about the changing situation – this 

received positive feedback. In terms of 

trends, we’re seeing shared boats (two 

friends buying a boat) and a number 

of boats planning to make a grand tour 

this season or the next. 

MD: One of the biggest problems 

we encountered was the extent and 

complexity of the matter of abandoned 

yachts. With a lot of work and 

investigation we were able to generate 

some good solutions in this area. This 

experience has led us to take part in 

an international working group on the 

topic, where we can contribute our 

Steven Desloovere 

directors, who proceeded to both 

propose and agree on Maarten’s 

appointment. Since then, the 1,000- 

berth marina has continued to grow 

in stature, resonating particularly in 

customer-focused, youth-oriented 

and environmental areas. 

knowledge to the problem of end-of-life 

boats. 

On a personal level, given that we 

can talk very directly with each other, 

we can also make fast decisions. 

Facing a decrease in boat owners after 

2008, we resorted to building up a 

young and dynamic team which meant 

that we were better able to address the 

needs of today and communicate with a 

changing market. 

The above article is reproduced by kind 

permission of TransEurope Marinas 

and first appeared in the association’s 

newsletter. 

www.transeuropemarinas.com 


TALKING SHOP 

Marina manager Vladimir Gavran 

(above) runs family-friendly, wellsheltered 

Marina Izola (left). 

Slovenian marinas 

join forces to boost 

potential 

Nestled right at the top of the Adriatic Sea, Marina Izola offers a sheltered spot 

to berth up in one of the nearest tourist ports to Central Europe. Charlotte 

Niemiec invites marina manager, Vladimir Gavran, to talk shop. 

Family-friendly and peaceful, Izola 

Marina is one of few marinas to lie 

along Slovenia’s tiny fragment of 

coastline, which stretches just 47km 

(29mi) between Italy and Croatia. 

It has recently joined forces with 

nearby Marina Koper to create a 

new brand – MarinaUp – and now 

offers a combined 800 berths. 

While Marina Koper focuses more 

on transit and has fewer berths, it 

has an excellent logistical position. 

“In order to achieve synergy and 

jointly promote both marinas, we act 

together under the MarinaUp brand,” 

Gavran explains. Both marinas are 

located in the centre of Izola and 

represent the shortest route from 

Central Europe to the sea. 

The town of Izola is steeped in 

history, reflected in the architecture, 

The town of Izola is steeped in 

history with charming and 

colourful houses. 

culture and authentic local people. 

The old town, which flourished 

during the Venetian Republic, boasts 

charming and colourful houses, 

narrow winding streets and a lively 

Mediterranean atmosphere. Izola 

offers plenty of sea and seaside 

activities, exceptional fish-based 

cuisine, excellent wine and olive 

oil, and has the picturesque Istrian 

countryside on its doorstep. 

Construction of Marina Izola 

began in the 1990s and major 

works continued 20 years ago with 

the Amfora building – the heart of the 

marina. This hosts the marina reception 

and offices, a bar and restaurant, 

agencies selling and renting boats, 

and a nautical equipment store. While 

charter opportunities are plentiful in 

Slovenia and neighbouring countries, 

Gavran believes that “owning a boat in 

Slovenia is more popular than charter. 

I think it’s a question of ‘emotional 

relationship’ between the owner and the 

boat.” 

On the ground floor of the Amfora 

building there is a multipurpose hall 

able to accommodate up to 100 people. 

Work to improve the marina continues, 

with the addition of an extra breakwater 


TALKING SHOP 

a few years ago which, together with 

the original breakwater, provides very 

good protection for boats in the marina. 

In 2020, the marina was bought by 

Koper-based company Grafist, which 

also owns Koper Marina. Over the last 

two years, Grafist has made several 

infrastructure investments, and Gavran 

foresees more in the future. 

“I’m a lawyer at Grafist and I was 

involved in the procedures for the 

purchase of the marina,” he explains. 

“My primary goal was to organise 

the operations of the marina, which 

required rearranging financing, solving 

legal issues with various entities, 

solving open issues with the state and 

the municipality, and improving the 

operations themselves. We were very 

successful in these activities and the 

results are now very satisfying. Marina 

Izola still has a lot of untapped potential 

and opportunities for development. 

My challenge for the marina is for it to 

reach its full potential.” 

New floating piers 

One significant change has been the 

addition of 161 berths at new floating 

piers designed and built by Italian 

company Ingemar. All of the other 

piers at Marina Izola are fixed. “We 

decided to add floating piers mainly 

because of their practicality and ease 

of construction,” says Gavran, and “we 

chose Ingemar mainly because of their 

reliability and proximity. I have to praise 

their attitude and seriousness – their 

engineers gave us all the support we 

needed.” 

The berths are positioned on three 

floating piers connected to the quay by 

a long service pier. Stretching almost 

500m (1,640ft) in length, they were 

built using floating modules of different 

widths, a steel supporting structure 

and tropical timber decking. The central 

service pier is anchored to the seabed 

with steel piles, while the transverse 

piers are anchored with a system of 

chains and concrete anchoring blocks. 

Each berth is equipped with water, 

electricity and video control. 

“Construction went smoothly,” says 

Gavran. “We obtained all operating 

permits a few weeks ago, so the 

boats will start mooring in coming 

months. The interest in berth rental is 

considerable.” 

“In the future, I would like the marina 

to develop into a modern destination in 

terms of technology and service. But in 

general, in my opinion, a marina must 

be more than that. The marina should 

not limit itself to the sale of moorings 

and services for vessels, but also 

provide guests with the richest possible 

experience. That is why I think that the 

environment in which the marina is 

located is especially important,” Gavran 

stresses. 

“In Izola, we are lucky that the marina 

is connected to a small but charming 

fishermen’s town with a rich Istrian and 

Venetian cultural heritage, in which you 

can also find traces from Roman times. 

Our marina does not resemble an “all 

inclusive” hotel that is isolated from the 

environment, but lives with the local 

people and the environment in which 

it is located. In the future, I hope that 

this connection with the environment 

will be even greater and that the marina 

guests will feel like members of our 

community – like real ‘Izolani’.” 

Today, the marina has around 800 

moorings, with 650 at fixed piers 

and 161 at floating pontoons, all with 

electricity (220/380V), water and Wi-Fi. 

The power pedestals are manufactured 

by a local company, Felolux. Berth 

sizes range from 6m (20ft) to some that 

accommodate superyachts. Demand is 

high and the marina is almost full, even 

though it has gained some free space 

with the construction of the new piers. 

All mod cons 

Services meet all modern expectations. 

A diesel and petrol distributor is located 

at the centre of the marina and the 

marina boasts a 60 tonne travel hoist. 

Closely packed houses on narrow winding 

streets lead to an enviable Mediterranean 

waterfront. 

“We also plan to build a bigger slipway, 

which will be equipped with smaller 

lifts,” says Gavran. The marina works in 

cooperation with external contractors, 

offering maintenance services such 

as underwater parts, servicing and 

repair of engines, installation or repair 

of navigation devices, upholstery and 

joinery and repair, and installation of 

sails and masts. 

“We have an external security system 

and the entire marina is covered by 

video surveillance. Izola is a very safe 

place, so we have no major problems 

with security issues.” Staff perform 

daily patrols of the marina and check 

the condition of the vessels, which are 

visible from the piers. At night, security 

services take care of safety. 

Marina Izola manages the site using 

myMarina by Marina Master – an 

integrated cloud-based CRM. “myMarina 

gives us important support and it’s a 

reliable partner as we seek to modernise 

our work process,” Gavran notes. 

The marina has been a proud 

recipient of Blue Flag environmental 

accreditation for more than 20 

years and supports sustainable 

operations while constantly striving 

for improvement. Every year it adopts 

a programme of activities for effective 

environmental management and works 

with the local community to achieve 

positive results. 


41

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World Class Marinas | Custom design to suit requirements

EVENTS 

AMI Expo – 

a record-breaker 

The 2023 AMI Conference & Expo, organised by the Association of Marina 

Industries (AMI) and held Monday 30 th January – Wednesday 1 st February 

in Daytona Beach, Florida was pronounced a record-breaking success that 

attracted nigh on 1,100 attendees. 

“This is by far the best event we 

have ever presented,” said AMI vice 

chair Rick Chapman. “From the preconference 

workshops and opening 

keynote on ‘Front Row Leadership’ 

to the ‘Future of Boats’ panel and 

everything in between, the content was 

on point. Even if the speakers shared 

things we didn’t want to hear, we 

needed to hear them. 

“We experienced record-breaking 

attendance, our exhibit floor was sold 

out, our social night was the largest 

we have had to date, and there was 

an energy throughout the event that 

was hard to ignore. We look forward to 

building on this momentum as we head 

back to Fort Lauderdale,” he added. 

Focus on education 

Prior to the official opening of the 

conference on Monday evening, a full 

day was devoted to a host of optional 

programmes, ranging from the annual 

meeting of the American Boat Builders 

& Repairers Association (ABBRA) 

to specific educational courses that 

fostered leadership, team-building and 

coaching skills, as well as a marina tour. 

The course options included the 

rebirth of the Docks & Marinas Short 

Course (D&M), originally created 

by Al Wortley at the University of 

Wisconsin, and assisted by Neil Ross. 

Long rated as the leading worldwide 

educational pathway and focused on 

combining both technical and broader 

approaches to address and solve 

various marina issues, the course 

then and now again also provides 

continuing education credits through 

the University of Wisconsin to those 

participating (needed annually for many 

professionals). 

The course covered permitting, 

marina design, including for waves, 

Marilyn Sherman’s keynote address focused 

on encouraging delegates to leave their 

comfort zone so as to be open to new 

opportunities. 

revetments, bulkheads, pile systems 

for lateral loading and retention, 

the Americans with Disabilities Act, 

electrical design and code compliance, 

marina loads and moorings, as well as 

clean marinas, environmental education 

and recognition. 

A new certification course for 

becoming an AMI Clean Marina 

Manager was also introduced, focusing 

on siting and design considerations 

for new and expanding marinas, 

habitat, vessel maintenance and repair, 

petroleum control and hazardous 

waste management, management of 

stormwater, sewage and grey water, 

waste reduction, disposal and recycling, 

as well as addressing boater education/ 

public education, aquatic invasive 

species, and increasing resiliency by 

looking at climate adaptation and sea 

level rise. 

The third full day option was a 

Leadership, Team-Building and 

Coaching Skills course and the fourth 

was Marinas 101, a three-hour marina 

industry introduction course geared 

toward those individuals with little or no 

marina experience looking to get into 

the industry by way of an advancement 

opportunity, career shift, or an interest 

in purchasing or developing a marina. 

The Marina & Boatyard Study Tour 

was designed to dovetail with Marinas 

101 although could also be enjoyed on 

its own. Delegates visited two marinas 

as well as a lighthouse and museum – 

and the weather cooperated to make it 

a great warm afternoon. 

Engaging keynotes 

Presentations within the actual 

conference started on Tuesday morning 

with a very energetic keynote speech 

“Front Row Leadership - How Top 

The exhibition hall boasted 162 exhibitors 

and was a hub for networking. 


43

EVENTS 

Newly certified professionals 

A Leadership, Team-Building and Coaching 

Skills course was one of several options 

during a full day of pre-conference 

workshops. 

Performers Never Settle for Balcony 

Seats” delivered by Marilyn Sherman. 

The stimulating talk focused on the 

need to leave your comfort zone so as 

to meet others and obtain opportunities 

that you would otherwise miss. Several 

attendees were very moved and 

inspired by the talk and by the end of 

the conference were still mentioning it 

as one of the highlights. 

The second day’s keynote, “The 

Future is Here! Trends in Boat Design: 

Is Your Marina Prepared?”, was a panel 

presentation featuring Alex Cattelan, 

chief technology officer, Brunswick 

Group; Sean Marrero, chief strategy 

officer and president, Watershed 

Innovation, Correct Craft; and Dan 

Ryks, senior category manager 

electrification, Mercury Marine. 

The discussion focused on where 

the industry is and where it is heading, 

particularly with respect to evolving 

boat design and powering of boats, 

and thoughts on how marinas will 

accommodate the changes. The 

consensus clearly was that the future 

is changing, but the approaches are 

still being worked out, including how 

the infrastructure will have to change to 

accommodate the new demands. 

There is concern that electric power 

will not be able to meet all of the 

needs, at least not in the nearer term. 

Indeed, the emphasis on electrification 

is pushing the envelope both in terms 

of the design of boats and batteries 

and how to recharge them. As the 

discussion continued, Sean Marrero 

said flat out to the marina operators in 

the audience: “You’re going to be selling 

electricity at some point.” 

AMI Conference & Expo is the usual venue for presenting awards to new 

Certified Marina Managers (CMMs) and Operators (CMOs). This year, AMI’s 

Training Institute welcomed 17 new CMMs and eight new CMOs to bring the 

current worldwide total to 504 for CMMs and 71 for CMOs. 

New CMMs and CMOs have completed the Intermediate Marina Management 

(IMM) course, along with the Advanced Marina Management (AMM) course. Upon 

completion of both, each professional then submits an extensive application for 

review and approval by the CMM/CMO review committee. 

Both virtual and face-to-face IMM courses are offered throughout the year, and 

interest is strong. “It is a very exciting time,” says training coordinator Merritt Alves. 

“AMI’s Training Institute is training and educating a record number of marina 

professionals each year, which leads to a record number of CMM and CMO 

designations.” 

New CMMs (2023): 

Shawn Macking, St Petersburg Yacht Club, St Petersburg, FL; Matt Creswell, CBJ 

Docks & Harbors, Juneau, AK; Travis Staats, Windward at Camachee Cove Yacht 

Harbor, St Augustine, FL; TJ Quandt, Port Olympia, Olympia, WA; Mary Hunt, 

Safe Harbor Cowesett, Warwick, RI; Jeff Durning, Safe Harbor Regatta Point, 

Palmetto, FL; Cody Bartro, MarineMax Houston, Seabrook, TX; Andy Caballero, 

Simpson Bay Marina, Sint Maarten, BVI; Jeremy Enck, Safe Harbor Aqualand, 

Flowery Branch, GA; Jason Breland, Chandler’s Landing, Rockwell, TX; Alex 

Turner, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, Grosse Point Shore, MI; Destinee Hodges, 

HarborWalk Marina, Destin, FL; Rick Jacobs, Meridian Marina, Palm City, FL; 

Audrey Willmot, VIP Marinas, Volente, TX; Kori Derrick Cisewski, Bayport Marina 

Association, Bayport, MN; David Wirth, St. Petersburg Municipal Marina, St. 

Petersburg, FL; and Chris Scott, Safe Harbor Vineyard Haven, Martha’s Vineyard, 

MA. 

New CMOs (2023): 

Lynn Lovelady, Scorpion Bay Marina, Morristown, AZ; David Wirth, St Petersburg 

Municipal Marina, St Petersburg, FL; Jason Heywood, Safe Harbor Green Harbor, 

Marshfield, MA; Jarod Viers, Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, Page, AZ; Kori 

Derrick Cisewski, Bayport Marina Association, Bayport, MN; Jon Perkins, City of 

Oceanside, North Oceanside, CA; Heather Mess, MarinaMax Inc., Clearwater, FL; 

and Jacob Podesta, Chandler’s Landing Marina, Rockwell, TX. 

L to r (front): Jacob Podesta, Jason Breland, Jason Heywood, Destinee 

Hodges, Kori Derrick Cisewski, Heather Mess, Alex Turner, Matt Creswell, 

Audrey Willmot and Rick Jacobs. L to r (back): Andy Caballero, Mary Hunt, 

Jeff Durning, Chris Scott, Travis Staats, Jarod Viers, Jon Perkins and Jeremy 

Enck. 


www.marinaworld.com – November/December 2022 45

EVENTS 

The session ended with 

lots of questions being raised 

by delegates, with answers 

basically boiling down to 

there being a lot of issues 

still to be worked out! The 

good news on that score is 

that the industry is reaching 

out to all segments, including 

numerous governmental 

agencies with their sometimes 

conflicting perspectives. 

Breakout sessions 

The main conference 

programme offered four to five 

different and simultaneous 

breakout sessions – three on the first 

day and two on the second day – for 

a total of 24 sessions covering a wide 

range of topics. There was something 

for almost everyone attending, and 

conflict for many who wanted to be in 

more than one place at once. 

Presentations covered: 

communications and marketing; 

workplace investigations and hiring; 

the changing trends of boat ownership; 

dealing with disaster (hurricane and 

fire); technological advances; financial 

management strategy; clean water 

initiatives; grant funding; industry 

statistics; and more. 

Most of the delegates enjoyed the 

sessions, particularly the interaction 

and ability to focus on specific issues. 

There were many new faces, including 

marina managers and owners as 

well as other first-time attendees. 

Most of all, the delegates seemed to 

appreciate the willingness of those with 

more experience to share ideas and 

suggestions. One new attendee said: “I 

Four panellists discussed trends 

in boat design in a second 

keynote presentation. 

cannot believe the number of 

people who are willing to talk 

to me – I am getting some 

great ideas and suggestions.” 

Another noted: “I found 

out about things that I now 

need to think about.” There 

were updates on codes and 

other regulatory issues, and 

examples of better ways to do 

things, along with examples of 

what not to do. 

There were also plenty 

of opportunities to meet and network. 

The exhibition hall, with 162 exhibiting 

companies, was particularly busy during 

break-out sessions and for the opening 

evening reception and the social event in 

the Coquina Ballroom was a big hit. The 

electric miniature golf was a highlight, 

along with other games. 

AMI Conference & Expo returns to 

the Broward County Convention 

Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on 

30 th January-1 st February 2024. 


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FLOATING BREAKWATER DESIGN 

SUPERVISING INSTALLATION WORK 

ADVICE FOR MARINA RENOVATION & EXPANSION

Two widely different floating 

structure projects that bring big 

benefits to small islands in Europe 

and South East Asia have recently 

been completed by SF Marina. 

Gressholmen-Rambergøya, a short 

ride from the Norwegian capital Oslo, 

now has a novel floating dock with 

containment for rubbish that could 

otherwise blight the popular nature 

preserve. Hei Ling Chau – thanks to a 

new SF Marina floating concrete wave 

attenuator – provides Hong Kong with a 

new typhoon shelter basin. 

Floating garbage dock 

Disposing of waste on a small island 

that has no vehicle access posed 

a tricky problem for Kommune 

Bymiljøetaten, the municipal urban 

environmental agency in Oslo. The 

solution, developed with SF Marina, 

was to devise a waste collection point 

right at the dockside. A small floating 

concrete dock houses three Molok 

Deep Collection trash containers that 

are emptied from the water using a 

crane mounted on a garbage collection 

workboat. 

The project uses an SF Marina 

4m (13ft) wide x 15m (49ft) long 

SF1040 floating concrete pontoon. 

Highly adaptable to a wide range of 

applications, this type of pontoon can be 

modified to meet the needs of virtually 

any project. Three holes for the Molok 

containers were cast into the structure 

during manufacture at SF Marina’s 

Wallham facility in Sweden, shipped to 

Oslo and then floated to the island. 

Used primarily as a dock section, the 

SF1040 is extremely stable due to its 

sheer mass and low centre of gravity. 

While the Gressholmen-Rambergøya 

floating garbage depot is located in a 

sheltered cove and anchored to the 

seabed with chains and anchors, SF 

Marina pontoons are engineered to 

withstand hurricane-force weather 

events. 

Typically used on land, 60% of 

a 5m³ Molok container is normally 

underground—but, in the case of the 

SF Marina project, it is underwater. 

The cool surroundings keep odourproducing 

bacteria from forming and, 

as much of the container is hidden, 

the receptacle opening is low and 

thus accessible by children and those 

in wheelchairs. A 6m (20ft) walkway 

allows easy entrance to the dock from 

shore and accommodates the area’s 

mild tidal fluctuation. 

FLOATING STRUCTURES 

Collection and protection for small islands 

Above: A floating garbage dock helps 

tourists keep a small Norwegian island 

clean. Right: Hei Ling Chau is now 

sheltered by a concrete wave attenuator. 

Each container cover has a reusable 

inner sleeve that holds the refuse. The 

crane lifts the lid and contents, swings 

it over to the boat, and a worker pulls 

a rope that opens the bottom to spill 

the trash. Because of the containers’ 

large capacities, 80% fewer emptyings 

are required over standard-sized waste 

receptacles. 

Typhoon shelter basin 

Part of Hong Kong, Hei Ling Chau 

is a small island situated off the east 

coast of Lantau Island that’s home to 

an addiction treatment centre and two 

correctional institutions. Due to frequent 

tropical cyclones in the region, the 

Hong Kong Government determined 

the waters off Hei Ling Chau’s western 

shore would make an ideal typhoon 

shelter basin. 

SF Marina installed a 700m (2,300ft) 

long floating concrete wave attenuator. 

Prior to this, the basin was surrounded 

by a two-section fixed-rock breakwater 

that only protected the area under 

normal storm conditions. The Hong 

Kong Government chose SF because it 

could manufacture the wave attenuator 

quickly in Asia and has a proven track 

record of installations successfully 

surviving severe storms. 

The Hei Ling Chau project comprises 

30 sections of 20m (66ft) long x 

5m (16ft) wide 65-tonne SFBW500 

pontoons and five sections of 20m 

(66ft) x 4m (13ft) 55-tonne SFBW400 

pontoons. With a height of 1.8m (6ft), 

they share a 0.5m (1ft 7in) freeboard 

and 500kg/m² buoyancy rating. 

The pontoons and anchors were 

manufactured by SF Marina Korea 

and shipped to Hong Kong. They were 

unloaded, floated into position using a 

tug, and installed. 


49

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ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS 

Electric propulsion – a 

solution to pollution? 

by Oscar Siches 

Virgil, in The Aeneid (Virgil, Aeneid, II, 49), proclaimed “Whatever it is, I fear 

the Greeks bearing gifts” when recounting the Trojan War and the Greeks’ 

deception with the wooden horse. This cautionary tale is still relevant, warning 

us about seemingly harmless things or actions that could have hidden, 

unexpected consequences. Today, 2,000 years later, I’m going to flag up Virgil 

again and say “beware of electric propulsion and its promise to be a universal 

solution to pollution.” 

Electric propulsion is an old concept. 

Moritz van Jacobi, a German engineer, 

built the first electric boat in St 

Petersburg, Russia in 1839. However, 

its popularity dwindled around 1920 in 

favour of fossil-fuelled engines, which 

were lighter in weight (virtually no 

batteries) and easier to transport and 

store. All good – until we realised a 

few years ago that we’d neglected the 

environment. Welcome back electrics… 

Electric propulsion is undoubtedly 

a solution to pollution caused by 

emissions, but the marketing of this 

apparent miracle-solution fails to 

mention potential issues that could 

make the practical use of electric boats 

less rewarding than promised. 

Power sources 

The most advanced types of electric 

recreational boats currently rely on two 

power sources: fuel cells and batteries. 

While fuel cells are associated with 

hydrogen, they can also work with 

ethanol, diesel oil, gasoline or gas, with 

varying emissions and fuel efficiency/ 

power output. 

When used with hydrogen, fuel cells 

do not generate emissions. However, 

hydrogen is not easy to transport as 

it must be pressurised and cooled 

to -253°C or pressurised at room 

temperature to 350 or 700 bar to 

manage the volumes. To put this into 

perspective, the air in a diving cylinder 

is compressed to 220 bar (though some 

can handle 300 bar). 

Fuel cells are stackable, and power 

can be increased by adding more cells. 

The cells themselves are relatively 

small, with a 30kW (40hp) cell the 

size of a standard laser printer. The 

good news? This year, Neo Orbis 

will be launched in Amsterdam, and 

it will be the first boat in the world 

using hydrogen from a powder source 

(sodium borohydride). This is a big step 

forward. 

In June 2022, I was aboard a 

20m (66ft) sailboat in Sneek, the 

Netherlands, that had two 30kW cells 

and two 20-litre hydrogen tanks each 

at 350 bar. With 40 litres of hydrogen, 

the boat could travel 100 miles at eight 

knots, outperforming a conventional 

engine four to one. However, the lack of 

hydrogen refuelling stations is a major 

obstacle to widespread adoption, and 

Above & below: 

Ecolution solutions including 

300 bar hydrogen containers (left). 


51

CAT-handling at its best 

www.roodberg.com 

The Original

ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS 

hydrogen propulsion is currently three 

times more expensive than diesel. 

Battery power 

The most common types of batteries 

are lead-acid (PA) and lithium-ion (IL). 

Both types are heavy, with lead-acid 

batteries being the heaviest. Lead-acid 

batteries are also bigger and must be 

installed in a vertical position because 

of their vents or plugs. By contrast, 

sealed lithium-ion batteries can be 

installed in any position. However, 

there is a slight risk of explosion with 

sealed batteries, although this is a rare 

occurrence with lead-acid batteries. 

One of the first things that users 

may notice is that the real autonomy 

of the batteries is often less than 

advertised. As for cars, calculations 

for battery life are made under ideal 

weather conditions and at an ideal 

battery temperature. However, when 

batteries become hot, they lose their 

ability to deliver energy. If the boat 

is heavily or unevenly loaded, it will 

demand more power from the engine, 

which will in turn require more power 

from the batteries. Therefore, every 

sailor must become familiar with the 

new propulsion system and use it with 

reasonable caution. 

The age of a battery is based on its 

Electric motor maintenance: 

Ecoboats, Australia. Below: 

TopDutch eco vessel moored 

up and under sail. 

number of charge cycles, 

similar to how aeroplanes 

are aged by number of 

take-offs and landings. 

While batteries are not 

eternal, current batteries 

have a lifespan of between 

3,500 and 5,000 charging 

cycles, which for weekend 

and vacation purposes 

equates to approximately 

170 cycles per year. This provides 

a theoretical lifespan of between 20 

and 35 years but batteries deteriorate 

throughout their lifespan, and the 

average lifespan of a boat battery is 

only five to seven years. 

As yet, we do not have regulations 

governing the recycling of the 

enormous number of boat batteries 

that we will have by about 2040. 

And batteries are, and will be, very 

expensive. Marinas must adopt 

the necessary standards as 

it will be their responsibility to 

dispose of old batteries legally. 

Charging up 

Ports will also have to decide 

on the type and number of 

pedestals they install. One 

per boat? Not very efficient, 

unless one is installed for 

every electric vessel that 

spends more than six months 

per year in port. Slow or fast charging? 

In my opinion, fast charging will be 

necessary for port service vessels or 

fast passenger boats. 

Batteries can be charged in three 

ways: via the traditional pedestal 

(charger on the boat, slow charging); 

slow charge (the charger is in the 

pedestal and it sends direct current 

(DC) to the batteries 

as with electric 

cars); and fast 

charging (the same 

method but with 

high amperage – a 

costly medium to 

high power electrical 

installation). 

When electric 

vessels begin to 

proliferate, ports 

must install battery 

charging pedestals 

to meet the needs 

of the vessels that require them. 

Permanent/long term berth holder 

vessels will merit the installation of 

their own pedestals and transients will 

need to be assigned to berths that have 

charging ability. Why? Because few 

ports will be able to afford a complete 

electrical installation while maintaining 

traditional pedestals for boats with 

normal engines. 

Training and education 

The learning and accustoming period 

should be spent with a hybrid system: 

in addition to batteries and a charging 

system, a generator that allows a return 

to port at a reduced speed. This system 

can be purchased or rented by the boat 

builder, marina or club. Ports should 

employ more members of staff and 

boost their towing capabilities as the 

number of electric boats that run out 

of batteries before returning to port will 

likely be high. Maritime Rescue cannot 

be expected to rescue all the electric 

propulsion ‘apprentices’. 

Having listed some of the situations 

that we will encounter when adopting 

this technology, we still need to plan 

the training of port personnel. They 

must be trained to control and fight 

lithium battery fires, which require 

special equipment and protocols. 

Grouping electric boats in a specific 

area where there are more fire-fighting 

resources for lithium batteries will 

enhance security, as will ensuring the 

free passage of fire trucks to that same 

area. 

Electric propulsion is efficient, safe, 

and in most cases, cheaper than 

hydrocarbons. It is here to stay, it will 

be regulated, and it will evolve rapidly 

in the coming years. However, we still 

have a long way to go to be ready to 

receive these vessels of the future in 

our ports. Knowing how to choose the 

system and manage well-planned and 

sufficient logistics is paramount. Then 

we can purchase an electric boat and 

christen it “Volta”. 


53

WIGGINS 

MARINA 

BULL 

CUSTOM DESIGN 

BUILT TO LAST 

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KINGSTON, WA | (360) 297-0858

PRODUCTS & SERVICES 

Pontoons for 

Ocean Race 

Alicante, chosen for the fifth time as the starting point for The 

Ocean Race 2023, is one of three race venues to benefit from 

floating pontoon arrangements supplied by Grupo Lindley 

companies. 

The public entity Generalitat 

Valenciana, through its company 

Sociedad de Proyectos para 

la Transformación Digital, 

contracted Almarin to install and 

subsequently remove floating 

and mooring infrastructure for 

the regatta and support boats in 

Alicante. 

A total of 360m (1,180ft) of 

Lindley floating pontoons, and 

several anchorages and swing 

moorings to moor the boats 

in case of emergency, were 

installed for the support vessels 

of the participating boats. 

From Alicante, the regatta 

sailed to Mindelo on the island 

of São Vicente (Cape Verde). At 

this stop over, Lindley Marinas 

built and installed the floating 

infrastructure to receive the 

regatta and support boats. Local 

port authority ENAPOR awarded 

the contract for the supply, 

installation and removal of 140m 

(460ft) of pontoons with bow 

moorings for the event. 

Access by two gangways 

from the fixed jetty through 

bridgeheads designed and 

installed by Lindley, including 

water and electricity services, 

ensured that the fleet had proper 

conditions for their stopover in 

Cape Verde. 

After the South Africa (Cape 

Town) stage completes, the fleet 

will disembark at Itajaí (Brazil), 

where Lindley Marinas and its 

local partner have built and 

installed floating infrastructure 

for berthing and mooring. The 

pontoons were built locally using 

reinforced concrete pontoons 

with polystyrene core. After the 

event they will be re-used for the 

neighbouring Marina de Itajaí, 

built by Lindley in two stages in 

2015 and 2018. 

“From Almarin and Lindley, 

we’re honoured to contribute to 

this fantastic project where the 

best regatta teams compete, and 

also to be able to join the event’s 

motto based on sustainability, 

recycling and reusage for 

protection of the oceans,” says 

Lindley Marinas CEO Luis 

Vasconcelos Dias. 

www.lindley.pt 

New hoist brings 

new technology 

Largs Yacht Haven, a popular Yacht Havens Group 

marina on Scotland’s Firth of Clyde, has invested 

in a new 75-tonne Wise boat hoist. The machine 

replaces an ageing 45-tonne hoist that has been 

on site for over 30 years, and works alongside 

an existing 70-tonne hoist to enhance yard 

operations. 

“With our brand new hoist comes brand new 

technology,” explains marina manager Dave Hewitt. “It 

will allow our boatyard operators to move around the 

hoist while manoeuvring, rather than operating from a 

fixed location on the machine.” 

“Working with Wise, we were able to specify the 

exact features we wanted ensuring we are able to 

offer far more than purely the increased weight. For 

example, our new hoist comes with greatly improved 

LED lighting to make emergency night time lifts much 

safer. The hoist is operated via remote control making 

it safer for our boatyard team, and we have automatic 

monitoring sensors that feed back real-time data to 

the manufacturers,” Hewitt adds. 

Larg’s boat lifting facility operates seven days a 

week with emergency 24-hour lifting available. For 

small or quick jobs, boats can be held in the hoist for 

an hour, over a tea break, or overnight. For longer 

periods of storage, vessels are positioned in the 

secure boatyard. 

The delivery is one of several boatyard equipment 

investments made by Yacht Havens Group this past 

season. In addition to the Largs hoist, Lymington 

Yacht Haven took delivery of a new 60-tonne hoist, 

and Yacht Haven Quay Plymouth purchased a new 

Wiggins Marina Bull drystack forklift. 

www.wiseboathoists.co.uk 


55

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Ultranav invests in ‘LifeLadder’ 

To further bolster its increasing sales success with LifeLadder and complementary products, Danish company Port- 

Safety has attracted investment from leading maritime company Ultranav, and also secured additional funding from 

Vaekstfonden – the Danish Growth Fund. 

Per Lange from Ultranav, who has 

more than 40 years of maritime and 

shipping experience, joins Port-Safety 

as its new chairman. “Port-Safety has 

developed a unique and patented 

product that can make a real difference 

in critical situations within the maritime 

world,” he says. “On top of the 

safety improvements, it is also a very 

convincing attribute that LifeLadder 

offers to cut carbon footprint to less 

than half compared with traditional 

solutions.” 

Lange believes that Ultranav’s strong 

international network could benefit 

Port-Safety in the future, and managing 

director Kim Haaning welcomes the 

opportunities this could bring. “We are 

excited to have closed this deal as 

it allows us to accelerate our global 

Next generation buoy 

growth ambitions and 

further improve our 

contribution to saving 

lives,” he explains. 

“Ultranav comes with a 

proud maritime heritage, 

market insights, and a 

strong network across 

customers and suppliers. 

We look forward very 

much to the value this 

new cooperation can 

bring.” 

LifeLadder was 

launched in mid-2018 

and sales have reached 

more than 30 countries. 

Additional products, focused on solar 

powered lighting to ensure the access 

to safety is visible at night, have been 

Spanish company Almarin has redeveloped its wellestablished 

Balizamar buoy design, and 

launched it as the EVO. 

Balizamar EVO buoys benefit from 

rotomoulded polyethylene modular 

components to enhance visibility and lower 

maintenance costs. The inner structure is 

made of galvanised steel by immersion and 

the top mark is constructed of stainless 

steel. The hull is rotomoulded and filled with 

closed-cell EPS foam to ensure buoyancy. 

“The design of the Balizamar buoys, 

which dates to 2010, has been updated to 

meet current needs,” says Almarin director 

Aleix San Vicente. “While an improvement 

in materials was made in 2013 with the 

change from GRP to stainless steel, the 

new EVO buoys now have improved day 

marks while retaining the 

robustness of the original 

design.” 

“This innovative and versatile 

system offers improved visibility, 

lower repair costs in the case 

of damage, and improved aid 

identification without limiting the 

colour only to the hull,” he adds. 

Almarin currently offers two lines of 

navigation buoys: the new EVO range 

and the superior Guia range 

www.almarin.es 

PRODUCTS & SERVICES 

created, along with products focused on 

quay wall safety. 

www.port-safety.com 

D-Marin expands 

digital solutions 

The D-Marin marina group has introduced ‘smart 

pedestal’. The product, aimed at revolutionising customer 

experience, has been developed in-house to fully digitise 

energy consumption, digital payments, remote metering 

and control. 

Customers will no longer 

need to enter the marina 

office or queue and wait 

for energy supply. Instead, 

they will have full control 

of the opening and closing 

of power sockets and 

remote measurement of 

consumption, as well as full 

control of costs. The key 

benefit of smart pedestal 

is that it can be controlled 

by the customer online, all 

at the touch of a button, 

giving customers the ability 

to personally manage their 

energy supply. 

D-Marin chief information 

officer, Michal Maslowski, 

said: “We’re proud to be 

delivering another D-Marin 

digital solution to all our 

premium marinas this year. It 

follows the launch of our twominute 

online booking system 

in 2022 and is another 

huge step in enriching 

the customer journey with 

innovative solutions as part 

of the ongoing ambitions of 

the D-Marin digitalisation 

strategy.” 

Smart pedestal will be 

rolled out to all marinas, 

retrofitted to existing 

pedestals, throughout 2023. 

www.d-marin.com 


57

PRODUCTS, SERVICES & PEOPLE 

Index to Advertisers 

ASAR/GCM Safe Harbour 

Drystacks, USA 25 

American Muscle, USA 39 

Aqua superPower, UK 50 

Australia Marina Engineering, 48 

Bellingham Marine, USA 7, 9 & 11 

Bluewater 

Marine & Dock, USA 50 

Boatlift, Italy 26 

Capria, Argentina 36 

Conolift by Kropf Industrial, 

Canada 10 

Cutting Brothers, Germany 56 

DualDocker, Austria 22 

Flovac, Spain 59 

GH Cranes & 

Components, Spain 28 

Gigieffe, Italy 24 

Golden Manufacturing, USA 14 & 15 

IWMC 2023, Portugal 47 

Ingemar, Italy 12 

Inmare, Italy 48 

Lindley, Portugal 24 

Livart, China 56 

Marex, Croatia 36 

Marina Master by 

IRM, Slovenia 50 

Marina Projects, UK 60 

MARINAGo by 

Scribble Software, USA 33 

Marinetek, Finland 4 

METSTRADE, Netherlands 18 

Molo, USA 20 

Monaco Smart & 

Sustainable Marina, 42 

Pacific Netting, USA 48 & 54 

Pacsoft, New Zealand 42 

Perspective Products, USA 52 & 56 

PierPump by Vogelsang, 

Germany 8 

Plus Marine, Italy 46 

Rolec, UK 35 

Ronautica, Spain 28 

Roodberg - a brand of Frisian 

Industries, Netherlands 52 

SF Marina System, Sweden 2 

Seaflex, Sweden 6 

Seijsener, Netherlands 10 

Superior Group, Australia 42 

Swede Ship Sublift, Sweden 36 

ThruFlow, Canada 26 

Walcon Marine, UK 27 

Wiggins Lift Co, USA 54 

Electric chargers for 

Italian marinas 

The Italian Tourist Ports Association, Assomarinas, and Aqua superPower 

are to collaborate on the installation of electric boat charging stations in the 

marinas of the Assomarinas network. The two parties will jointly promote 

electric boating as a benefit for the nautical market and the environment. 

Through the partnership, Aqua will 

supply and install its high-power smart 

grid marine chargers at no cost to the 

site operator, creating an infrastructure 

for electric boats and charging corridors 

along the entire Italian coast. 

Assomarinas has been operating 

since 1972 to create a network of 

accommodation facilities for leisure 

boats along the Italian coast and 

strengthen the exchange of information 

and services between tourist port 

operators. The organisation has over 90 

associated marinas and its partnership 

with Aqua will support group members 

in achieving their sustainability and 

decarbonisation goals. Foundations 

will be laid for establishing a network of 

chargers. 

“Assomarinas shares Aqua 

superPower’s long-term vision of 

a growing electric boating market 

and is delighted to cooperate in this 

important transition. Marinas need 

to be prepared for the new needs 

of electric boaters, and they must 

provide a reliable network of fast 

charge stations to make the new 

electric propulsion technologies more 

viable and enjoyable, for the benefit of 

the entire global 

nautical industry,” 

says Roberto 

Perocchio, president 

of Assomarinas. 

“We look forward 

to working with 

Assomarinas as 

marine fast charging 

partner to help 

their members 

reduce the 

impact of boating 

on the marine 

environment,” says Aqua superPower 

CEO Alex Bamberg. “Access to 

charging infrastructure that offers a 

reliable plug and charge experience, 

offering features like charge point 

visibility, is essential for boat owners if 

they are to develop the confidence to 

transition away from liquid carbon fuels. 

In partnering with Assomarinas, we 

will be able to develop fully connected 

marine fast charging infrastructure 

Alex Bamberg (left) with Roberto 

Perocchio. Below: The Assomarinas 

network of Italian tourist ports. 

along the entire Italian coast to service 

the growing number of electric boats.” 

There is no cost to the marina as 

regards the installation and network 

infrastructure. Aqua’s business model is 

to build, own and operate the network 

of high-powered chargers and then 

manage these assets via the cloud. 

Aqua provides a 

fully funded turnkey 

solution. This 

includes everything, 

from upgrading grid 

connections through 

to 24/7 customer care, 

the hardware, the 

Aqua cloud backend 

system, which drives 

payment systems, 

customer care, 

charging session 

management, and 

unique connected services between 

Aqua’s cloud, charger and vessel. 

Aqua manages the entire installation 

service via its own deployment team 

and certified contractors in various 

countries. 

www.aqua-superpower.com 


THE SMART 

GREEN 

FUTURE OF 

SEWAGE 

COLLECTION 

Vacuum sewerage systems are ideal for use 

in marinas and ports of any size. 

The Flovac system can capture sewage and 

bilge water from boats and all facilities 

around the marina complex. 

No electrical power required at dockside 

Discreet, small diameter pipework 

No risk of water contamination 

Validates MARPOL certification 

Eco-sustainable system 

Ease of installation 

No odour, no spills 

www.flovac.es

SETTING THE WORLD STANDARD 

IN MARINA DESIGN 

Waterfront & marina development 

consultancy at its best, worldwide 

Concept Design & Marina Masterplanning 

Feasibility Studies & Market Research 

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Marine Operations Management 

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Property Consultancy Services 

Our independent services cover the entire spectrum of marina 

and waterside development. Through a wealth of international 

experience and specialist industry knowledge, our team 

understands what it takes to deliver world class marinas with 

uncompromising standards in all areas of our service. 

enquiries@marinaprojects.com | 

www.marinaprojects.com 

United Kingdom +44 (0)23 9252 6688 | Hong Kong +852 3796 3533 | Cyprus +357 97714495

2023 March April Marina World

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