The 45-metre, US$28 million superyacht Vantage is undergoing work in Whangarei. Photo / John Stone
The 45-metre, US$28 million superyacht Vantage is undergoing work in Whangarei. Photo / John Stone
Another superyacht is getting work done in Whangarei, in another sign that the city's ship repair and refit industry is thriving.
The 45-metre Palmer Johnson superyacht Vantage - dubbed one of the finest yachts in the Palmer Johnson fleet and on sale in 2010 for US$28 million ($38.3m) - isgetting a total repaint at Oceania Marine in Fraser St, which specialises in superyacht refit, repair and construction.
Oceania Marine client and marketing manager Jim Loynes said the sleek superyacht was having a repaint, engineering work and survey done in the city, with well over $1 million worth of work booked in.
Mr Loynes would not reveal who owned the craft to protect their privacy, saying only that it was an overseas owner.
It's the second superyacht the company has had in the last four months, after Umbra - a luxury superyacht that used to belong to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich - underwent a multimillion-dollar refit.
Umbra, a 51-metre Damen-built Sea Axe Fast Yacht Support vessel, is undergoing a complex three-month refit at Oceania Marine in Whangarei, with expertise from project manager Diverse Projects.
Between the Umbra project and the Vantage, Oceania have also had another motor yacht, the Black Pearl, that it completed in 2010, back to the yard and in the shed for painting and survey works. Black Pearl is due to be launched today.
Mr Loynes said the company was having a good year and having Vantage in for work was another sign of how successful Whangarei's repair and refit industry was at the moment.
"It's pretty hard in the new build industry in New Zealand, but he refit side of things is doing very well and we are going onwards and upwards."
He said another aspect was that most of the city's ship repair and refit industry were working together on projects, with the Umbra a perfect example of that, with Ship Repair NZ, Marine Industry Electrics; McKay Electrical, Whangarei Engineering and Atlas Cranes - among others - all involved in the work.
"It's about getting fresh money into the town," he said.
