Southern Stars Project shines for Taiwan yacht building industry

by Jeni Bone on 30 Jun 2012 The Economic Planning and Development committee of Taiwan has identified luxury yacht production as an emerging core industry in the 'i-Taiwan 12 Projects' Kaohsiung Port City Reconstruction, investing in the development of a dedicated yacht building precinct.

It refers to the E-Composites’ reports that states the global recreational yacht market has been growing at a rate of 7% annual growth between 2005-2012 and the island nation’s commitment to remaining internationally competitive.
The Southern Stars Luxury Yachtbuilding Park will be key to the local industry’s growth.

The project aims to integrate the upper, lower and middle streams of the industry and its hardware and accessory manufacturers in to one precinct, known as the Southern Stars Luxury Yachtbuilding Park, the result of reclaimed area using construction waste as filler material.

'We expect the luxury yacht building park will advantage to greater and value-added megayacht production development. Via the project, the luxury yacht building park will win the success in yacht industry as ‘Asian luxury yacht manufacturing centre,' the promotional material pronounces.

The park, scheduled to be completed in four years, is expected to have an estimated annual production value of NT$10 billion (US$340 million) and create thousands of job opportunities, said Chen Wen-chao, an official at the Kaohsiung City Marine Bureau.

The project is planned for a 113 hectare site at the southern edge of the Southern Star zone – a brand new manufacturing precinct on the harbour’s edge in Taiwan’s manufacturing centre, Kaohsiung. It is forecast to accommodate 28 yacht factories and 14 related industries. Yacht builders who move the site have been allocated over 73 hectares of superyacht production space, dock and berthing requirements.

'Our project deploys five functional facilities including the yacht production area, water test area, yacht hardware accessories production area, administrative area and park area,' continues the marketing collateral.

The project will be administered by Kaohsiung Municipal Authorities. The first construction phase of the project will be completed by the end of December 2012, the second phase scheduled for the end of December 2014.

The benefits of the project includes attracting investment, yielding 10 Billion Taiwan dollars in annual production and creating more than 4,000 jobs.

The site is adjacent to the Port Kaohsiung Intercontinental Container Centre, fishing port and industrial zone. The project will also encompass new and emerging alternative power, including solar power generation, using roofing panels which are estimated to yield 313,390m² of solar panel space throughout the park, of which 50% will be in the yacht building area – generating 18,858,570kw of power per annum.

Taiwan is ranked the seventh-largest yacht-building country in the world in 2012. There are 32 yacht builders in Taiwan, around 20 located in Kaohsiung, the industrial port city in southern Taiwan that generates 80% of the country's yacht production. Taiwan’s yachting exports totalled US$160 million in 2011 and are expected to grow between five and 10% in 2012.

With the yacht industry park and a wide range of facilities, Taiwan aims to create its own brand and expand its international visibility, said Chen Wen-chao.

Coinciding with the opening of the complex, Kaohsiung will host the Taiwan International Boat Show in April 2014. The boat show’s main venue will be the Kaohsiung Exhibition and convention Center, just 15 minutes away, which will be crucial in the ambition for the city to become 'one of the most important exhibition and convention cities in the world'.

When completed the new exhibition center will boast a column-free 27-meter high ceiling with 45-meter steel spans. It’s projected that the 2014 show will host 250 exhibitors with 1,000 booths over 9,000m². The event will feature a full range of products and solutions, everything from yachts and boats, equipment and accessories, repair and maintenance services, water sports/recreation and water tourism.

More at www.TaipeiTradeShows.com.tw