Positive response to 1st Asia Superyacht Conference- official report

by Superyacht Singapore Association on 28 Oct 2009
The 1st Asia Superyacht Conference, organised by the Superyacht Singapore Association (SSA), saw over 150 participants attend from over 30 countries around the world at what was a ground breaking and inspiring event that has created the potential to substantially grow the superyacht business within Asia.

The major message from the conference was the need for an Asia-Pacific wide superyacht association that is both capable of promoting the region to the rest of the world and also being an effective lobbying body to encourage Governments within the region to understand and act on the opportunities posed by visiting superyachts.

'The conference clearly identified the need for regional cooperation and that was one of our key objectives in hosting the event' commented Arthur Tay, Chairman of the SSA who made the opening welcome address for the conference and also sat on a number of panel discussions. 'The event has highlighted major issues that need urgent attention and we now must find a way of addressing these.'

Conference Chairman Simon Turner, who runs Singapore based luxury yacht firm Iconovista and is an SSA member added, 'We are all quite literally overwhelmed by the response to the conference. We were very nervous when we decided to launch this event and we initially had mixed feelings from the international superyacht community. We were able to bring in some fantastic speakers and delegates from around the world which meant that the quality of the presentations was exceptionally high.

'This inspired delegates into some of the most healthy debate I have ever seen at a conference. What was clear was that people within the region did not know of the extent of opportunities across Asia-Pacific and it was a real eye opener for those visiting from outside the region. From amazing cruising grounds to refit and repair facilities there is so much more here than people realise. It also highlighted the problems and among them is the need for a coordinated approach to regulation to enable a smooth and simple passages for yachts across our region.'

The conference kicked off on the Monday evening with a welcome drinks reception hosted by SSA member Asia Pacific Superyachts on the wonderful floating bar within the yacht basin at ONE°15 MARINA Club, the venue for the 2 day conference. Over 100 delegates were able to network long into the evening making new contacts and creating ideas even before the conference had begun.

On Tuesday morning, day 1 of the conference, Arthur Tay welcomed Mr S Iswaran, Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry and Education for Singapore. Mr Iswaran was able to highlight the encouragement being given to the superyacht industry around the region and that Singapore could play a pivotal role as a leisure hub and key stop-off point for cruising superyachts. As a world class city with new leisure facilities coming on stream such as two major international casinos and the recently held Formula 1 Grand Prix, Singapore has a lot to offer visiting yachts.

YP Loke, Vice Chairman of the SSA and managing director of Spinnaker International, was able to set the scene and give a little history on the background and past developments in the industry. 'It was useful to give people new to the region some background information and put the business into perspective with the rest of the world. I have to say that the conference really moved the agenda on in this region and there was a positivity and will to make changes that I have never before seen,' commented YP.

Following YP was Dr Aji Sularso, Director General of Marine & Fisheries Surveillance in Indonesia and long time supporter of an open seas policy for Indonesia. Dr Sularso outlined some of the recent developments regarding regulations and permits and recognised that in some ports there were still difficulties. In an unprecedented step, he welcomed any cruising yachts who had difficulties in Indonesia to pick up the telephone and call him so that he could take action.

The rest of the morning was dedicated to the topic of piracy around the world and David Pickard of Drum Cussac outlined some of the latest developments and problems and also posed a series of actions that can be taken by cruising yachts to enable them to remain safe. David then sat on a very lively panel debate which included Dr Nicholas Janitsary, a global security specialist; Captain Warren Blake who has cruised Asian waters for over 30 years and Olivier Benoist of Aptic Asia who is building a yacht in Indonesia and has had many experiences of supposed pirates.

The outcome of the session was quite simple. Piracy is simply not an issue in Asia and there are no reported attached on 'white yachts' in the past 5 years. A small pirate team is operating out of a remote yet small Indonesian island chain and affecting commercial shipping and it was commented that some simple action by the Indonesian navy could end this very quickly.

A far greater problem is that of the Gulf of Aden affecting global shipping. This is having a negative effect on cruising yachts visiting the region and reduces the shipping opportunities for the transportation of superyachts. While this problem continues, superyachts will seek to avoid this area.

The afternoon of the conference kicked off with Andreas Weber of MTU who was lead sponsor of the conference. Andreas outlined some of the future propulsion trends that would create opportunities for superyachts.
Andreas was followed by Colin Squire of YachtFile who outlined the needs of western based cruising yachts to enable those in the business in Asia-Pacific to understand how to make it easy for these yachts to cruise the region. Major issues raised included the provision of mooring places and marina access, skilled shore side support and effective communications.

The afternoon then split into two streamed sessions the first of which covered some of the regional opportunities and market developments. Mike Derrett and Duke Ha made a unique presentation on Vietnam and showed its incredible potential as a superyacht cruising destination. With beautiful cruising grounds and a sea loving population it will not be long before Vietnam sees a rapid increase in visiting superyachts.

Bart Kimman of Asia Yacht Services then outlined some of the opportunities and frustrations for Hong Kong and China. While Hong Kong has unlimited space for superyachts on its incredible anchorages, there is limited marina space and this is an issue that an Asia-Pacific superyacht association could really force home with the Hong Kong Government. Hong Kong is truly part of a great Asian cruising route and with a lot of work being done in China this area could see an explosion of superyacht activity.

The final speaker of this stream was Fairoz Rozali of the Malaysian Marine Department who outlined the cruising grounds of Malaysia and its fast growing Langkawi International Yacht Registry. There can be no country more easy to cruise in than Malaysia and not one with less red tape or problems.

The second stream focused on yacht contracts, finance and risk management. Tony Allen and James Lawson from Hill Dickinson flew in from London to give a joint presentation on how buyers and their representatives can work with shipyards for both new build and repair, followed by financing opportunities and what is possible in this current difficult market. Danielle Masse of Chartis Insurance then spoke about risk management issues and some of the critical need to know information when cruising and owning superyachts in Asia.

The 1st day was rounded off by Jan Maarten Boissevain of Sevenstar Yacht Transport who outlined transport opportunities that would enable the business to grow within Asia. Sevenstar then whisked delegates away by bus to the Official Conference Hotel, The Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa, for an evening reception including networking drinks and some wonderful Asian canapés. Again the reception went on well into the evening.

Day 2 kicked off with a detailed presentation on superyacht repair and refit facilities by SSA Executive Director Jean-Jacques Lavigne (JJ). JJ outlined the recent dramatic growth in visiting superyacht traffic to Singapore and therefore the potential the country has as a world class facility with superyacht facilities. While one local shipyard is currently in the process of converting a commercial dock into a dedicated superyacht facility, the Singapore Government have made available a key piece of land in the west of the country that with private sector support can become Asia’s most important refit and repair facility.

This facility would have a huge impact on the region as it would provide a pivotal service point in a very large Asia-Pacific cruising route.

JJ was followed by Captain Nick Coombes of Asia Pacific Superyachts. As a current superyacht captain operating in the region and with more than 13 years experience in Asia, Nick was able to highlight some of his best and most frustrating experiences. His favourite destination of the Andaman islands where 'fish can simply be lifted from the water by hand' also represented his biggest frustration with red tape taking lots of time to overcome.

However, this and many other areas in Asia had given Nick many of his best cruising experiences anywhere in the world.

The morning then split into two parallel stream sessions with one focusing on Australia and the other on Indonesia. The Australia session included Richard Morris, Board Director of Superyacht Base Australia, Murray Hird of Superyacht Base Darwin and Lance Cushion, President of the International Superyacht Society (ISS). The presentations showcased the wonderful and vast cruising grounds of Australia and highlighted the extensive lift out, refit and repair facilities.

An quick glance at a globe shows how close Darwin is to 'Asia' and it was made clear that people in the Northern Territories feel as much a part of Asia as they do Australia. The second session on Indonesia included Robin Engel of The Indonesian Marine Tourism Association (GAHAWISRI), Cilian Burdarlaigh who is an active yacht captain and provides yacht support services in Bali and was chaired by Olivier Benoist of Aptic Asia. This session highlighted the incredible cruising grounds and marine life of Indonesia while also pointing out some of the frustrations with red tape that need overcoming.

The two groups joined to have a lively debate on the importance of working together as a region to create a seamless cruising route. While much can be done, the evidence given by the presenters was that superyacht traffic is growing quickly and yachts are consistently having wonderful experiences of traversing these areas.

The afternoon kicked off with a presentation on Thailand by Vincent Tabuteau of The Thai Marine Business Association and Asia Marine, and Gareth Twist of yacht solutions. The presentation showed the wonderful cruising grounds around Thailand, the proximity of Thailand to Myanmar and The Andaman Islands, the surprising range of repair and refit facilities and the fast growth in superyacht traffic above 30 metres.

The final formal presentation saw Lisa Mill-Irving give an entertaining presentation on crew availability in Asia and particularly the Philippines. The theme of training and education for crew as well as crew being close to family was a constant theme throughout the conference.

The afternoon was wrapped up with a series of panel discussions starting with the experiences of owners and captains cruising in Asia. The message was simple: cruising in Asia is comparable if not better than anywhere else in the world but the region as a whole has a lot more work to do to convince the rest of the international community to send more yachts here.

The panel discussion on marinas and superyacht traffic included Francis Lee of Raffles Marina, Tan Kay Toh of Republic of Singapore Yacht Club, John Farrell of Seal Superyachts and Jean-Jacques Lavigne of the SSA clearly identified that superyacht traffic was growing very fast and that marina capacity had to keep up. However, other solutions, such as quality moorings, were also needed.

The closing panel discussion for the event focused on what the region needs to do to truly transform itself into a world class cruising destination. Singapore was represented by SSA Chairman Arthur Tay and Vice Chairman YP Loke, Malaysia by Pen Marine’s Oh Kean Shen, Thailand by Vincent Tabuteau, Hong Kong by Bart Kimman and Colin Squire of YachtFile.

The questions from the audience were all focused on how the Asia-Pacific region could really sell itself and what it needed to do. The panel gave a resounding 'yes' to the idea of the formation of an Asia-Pacific superyacht association. This association would have two key objectives: firstly, the task of lobbying Governments in the region to provide facilities and open seas and secondly; to enable the region to present itself as one at major events such as the Monaco Yacht Show or the Genoa Charter show.

Delegates welcomed the prospect of the conference being run again next year and many ideas were given for its growth and continued success. These included the creation of specific sessions for international charter companies to enable them to see facilities and make contacts and the addition of a trade show aspect offering services and solutions.

Inspired and determined conference chairman Simon Turner was able to bring the event to a close and welcome everyone to yet another networking drinks reception that saw 90% of delegates still in attendance at the end of two days clearly showing the positive and important outcome of the conference.

While the drinks continued, some delegates were whisked away for dinner on a local mega-yacht.

This did not represent the end of proceedings. On day 3 a tour of Singapore’s marinas was organised which saw 25 delegates new to the region gaining firsthand experience of the facilities available. Starting in the morning at conference venue ONE°15 MARINA Club the group moved on to the Marina at Keppel Bay to be greeted by Francis Olsen. A superb lunch was then had at the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club before the marina tour aspect was concluded at Raffles Marina.

Delegates were then treated to a ride on the Singapore Flyer, the world’s largest freestanding rotating wheel at 165m. Delegates were able to see the incredible expansion of the city and many of the newly created marine related facilities.

A final small group of 12 then went on a short evening cruise around the southern islands of Singapore.