WORLD NEWS Southern adds
WORLD NEWS Southern adds three to portfolio USA: Southern Marina Holdings, LLC has purchased three premium Florida marina facilities from Aqua Marine Partners. The addition of Hi-Lift Marina in Aventura, Hidden Harbour in Pompano Beach and Palm Harbour in Cape Haze brings the growing Southern Marinas portfolio to ten properties. All three marinas have special attributes. Hi Lift has nearby access from the Baker’s Haulover Inlet and features full-service dry storage operations, a new boat showroom, boat club and Yacht brokerage. Hidden Harbour is the newest and most prestigious drystack in Pompano Beach and has fast and easy access to the Atlantic. It will soon have a vibrant, new neighbouring community of apartments, restaurants and retail, currently under development by Aqua Marina Partners CEO Andy Sturner. Palm Harbour is a boutique-style resort marina near Boca Grande Pass – home to the world’s best tarpon fishing. With a combination of drystack and wet slips, it can accommodate boats up to 65ft (20m). Andrew Gendron, principal and chief investment officer with Southern Marinas, said the company was excited to have secured the marinas. “Our overall goal is to continue to expand the Southern Marinas brand through the purchase of key locations. Our team is always on the lookout for new and exciting opportunities like this one from Aqua Marine.” While the marinas are currently open and running as normal, Southern’s management team will continue to monitor all government updates on the COVID-19 pandemic. The marinas will be implementing the protocols outlined by these agencies with the primary goal of providing a safe environment for boaters and team members at their locations. SF boosts factory facilities to meet increased demand GLOBAL: SF Marina has commenced operations at new manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and Thailand. This is in addition to expanding its production sites in Sweden, the USA and New Zealand. The addition of the Malaysia and Thailand facilities strengthens SF Marina’s commitment to the Asian region. Located in the Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok regions respectively, they are scaled to meet the current demand for floating concrete structures within the area. In Sweden, at the company’s Wallhamn manufacturing facility, SF added a sixth precast production bed and built a new concrete plant in 2019. This year, it acquired an adjacent building to accommodate the expanding demand for its products. These steps provide the means to deliver increasingly larger items such as 10m (33ft) wide x 3m (10ft) high breakwaters and a floating hotel structure measuring 22m (72ft) wide x 63m (207ft) long. The factory expansion of the North American division, SF Marina USA, added a second precast production line for increased capacity. It also reconfigured its logistics to accommodate the delivery of larger structures via barge. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, it matches the delivery levels of SF Marina’s other primary plant in Dubai, UAE. In New Zealand, SF is constructing a second production facility to meet growing demand. This expands the company’s presence in the country by as much as 300%. The location is expected to begin operations this summer. “SF Marina has expanded its production capacity worldwide to keep pace with global demand,” said Michael Sigvardsson, SF Marina System CEO. “But that’s just half of the equation. We’re also growing our technology and working on exciting new products to help marinas weather the storms for the next 100 years.” SF Marina pioneered the floating concrete pontoon in the 1920s. It has additional production facilities in Egypt, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Turkey. 10 www.marinaworld.com - May/June 2020
WORLD NEWS Marinas21: a post-pandemic marker point? AUSTRALIA: The Marina Industries Association (MIA) is putting a lot of energy into ensuring its next conference and trade exhibition in 2021 will be an important milestone for the marina industry recovering from COVID-19. MIA president Andrew Chapman said with the dates, location and overall structure now set, the Marinas21 Committee is working hard to ensure the conference and the exhibition agenda aligns with industry needs. “As we commence the long haul out of COVID-19 we will be providing a slightly different offering,” he noted. “The move to on-line communications is being accelerated and health and hygiene will remain an important issue. The dire tourism downturn is having a huge impact on some of our members and we need to strengthen our focus on tourism and our cooperation and coordination with the mainstream tourism industry.” The Marinas21 International Conference and Trade Exhibition will be held 24th-25th May 2021 at the Marriott on the Gold Coast. In 2019 there were 350 participants from 11 countries in attendance. The timing for the event has again been set so as to follow on from the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show. MIA Marinas21 Committee chairman, Mike Harvey, said it is important the planning process is aligned with the latest international, national and state forecasts and plans arising from the pandemic. “There are already many more variables in the planning of this event. We are heartened however by Australia and New Zealand’s progress in flattening the curve and the steps being laid out to get the marina industries back to full strength.” Mooring boost in Hebrides UK: Local and visiting leisure craft to Stornoway Harbour on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides will be able to moor up at a new 76-berth marina in 2021. Inland and Coastal Marina Systems (ICMS) is installing its standard marina walkway and finger pontoons as part of Stornoway Port Authority’s 2017 masterplan. The GRP mini-mesh decked pontoons will provide muchneeded additional marina berths, all with excellent anti-slip properties. “Being in the Hebrides has its logistical issues when it comes to installation but we always find a solution,” explains ICMS project manager Brian Curley. “Assembling the pontoons offsite really helps time-wise and reduces the amount of specialist machinery needed in situ.” “This exciting project will also incorporate a new slipway and boat hoist, enabling the marina to offer boatyard services to visitors and port users,” he continues. “We are delighted to be involved in such a prominent project in Scotland, which will be enjoyed by locals, sailors from abroad and the wider community long into the future.” www.marinaworld.com - May/June 2020 11 Advanced Dock Systems Designed with Purpose. EXPERT DOCK BUILDER AND MARINE CONTRACTOR bellingham-marine.com 800-733-5679
