Dockwise Yacht Transport heads to Brisbane with $35m in yachts onboard

by Aurora Global Logistics on 18 Jan 2012 The city of Brisbane, capital of Queensland and Australia’s third most populous city, will welcome Dockwise Yacht Transport’s (DYT) Super Servant 4 with open arms this month when the 169.49 meter (556 foot) orange semi-submersible ship berths at Fisherman’s Island Terminal to unload a cargo of yachts worth approximately US $35 million.

It has been one year since the ship’s last trip here was diverted to Sydney due to extreme flooding that devastated Brisbane and many other Queensland locations.

Jason Roberts, President of Aurora Global Logistics and DYT’s exclusive commercial agent for Australia, sees the ship’s return as proof positive of the rebounding yacht manufacturing and boat transport industries as well as the cruising market that Brisbane so well serves in the South Pacific.

'Brisbane is in the process of rebuilding,' said Roberts, explaining that when the Brisbane River’s riverbanks broke last January, an overflow level of 4.45 meters (14.6 feet) was reached, and approximately 20,000 houses were flooded.

'At the same time, the Australian economy has survived the global downturn to be quite strong, and this DYT voyage adds momentum to both of those things. We are excited for this voyage as well as many more to come in the future.'

Roberts added that Brisbane’s location halfway between Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef make it a perfect drop point for DYT, which operates on a regular schedule to deliver private yachts and charter boats to prime cruising destinations around the world.

Looking something like a giant moving marina when it comes to town, the Super Servant 4, once docked, will submerge itself by pumping nine million gallons of water into its ballast tanks. After scuba divers remove sea-fasteners from each yacht, captains, owners and/or crews will be free to disembark under their own power and be off to new adventures.

Super Servant 4 departed Palma de Mallorca (Spain) in December 2011 and will have made stops in Martinique (France), Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), and Golfito (Costa Rica) before arriving in Brisbane. From Brisbane, it will head to Auckland (New Zealand) and return to Port Everglades before heading to Toulon (France) in early April.

DYT’s second 'float-on/float-off' voyage to the South Pacific this year will begin in Palma de Mallorca in November, with stops in Martinique, Port Everglades, Golfito, Brisbane, and Auckland, and return to Port Everglades and the Mediterranean in spring 2013.

More at www.yacht-transport.com or www.yacht-transport.com.au

About DYT

Dockwise Yacht Transport (DYT), headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, specializes in the maritime transport of private luxury yachts and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dockwise Ltd., a Bermuda incorporated company that is the leading marine contractor providing total transport services to the offshore, onshore and yachting industries as well as installation services of extremely heavy offshore platforms.

DYT’s global yacht transport routes for its semi-submersibles include the U.S. East Coast Newport, Rhode Island and Port Everglades,Florida), the Mediterranean (Toulon, France; Genoa and Taranto, Italy; Marmaris, Turkey; Palma de Mallorca, Spain), the Caribbean (St. Thomas and Martinique) , the Pacific West Coast (Golfito, Costa Rica; La Paz and Ensenada, Mexico; and Vancouver, B.C.,Canada) and the South Pacific (Papeete, Tahiti; Auckland, New Zealand; and Brisbane, Australia).

With additional lift-on/lift-off offerings, DYT has serviced the following ports: Dubai (UAE), Genoa and Livorno (Italy), Hong Kong (China), Jacksonville and West Palm Beach (Florida), Marmaris (Turkey), Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Phuket and Singapore (Thailand), Portland (Australia), Salalah (Oman) and Southampton (UK).

Since its maiden voyage in 1987, the company has transported over 11,000 motor and sailing yachts to various destinations around the globe, offering owners and charterers safe and easy access to many of the world’s premier cruising grounds. Along with area representatives around the globe, DYT has additional operating offices in Italy, Martinique and Newport (R.I.).

About Aurora Global Logistics

Aurora Global Logistics, Dockwise Yacht Transport’s Australian agent is a privately owned Brisbane based company which has been operating for over ten years. In addition to the support it provides DYT, Aurora is able to offer in-house customs clearance service to DYT clients and also to yachts entering the country under their own steam. As an industry leader, Aurora aims to provide a customized solution to meet the requirements of individual cruising itineraries and the yacht owners’ expectations alike.