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2020 July August Marina World

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  • Australia
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The magazine for the marina industry

YARD & MARINE FACILITIES

YARD & MARINE FACILITIES Stage 3 live at The Boat GCCM presses on with site expansion After the successful completion of its undercover work bays, Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard (GCCM) in Australia has begun construction of new showrooms. The new marine hub is due for completion in August 2020. As a response to the growing demand for multi-use business units within the site, GCCM has committed to building three units that will provide new premises for leading marine contractors, adding to the 80 marine businesses already on site. The new units are in a prominent location at the entrance of the 17.5ha (43.2 acre) facility. Comprising a retail showroom with office space at the front and workshop at the rear, the design offers customer exposure through the workshop. The units are 240m² (2,580ft²) each and there is the option of tailored layouts to serve differing needs. “GCCM is a boatyard that accommodates marine craft from jet ski to superyacht and we continue to grow and attract leading marine contractors. These new units are designed to address the needs of businesses that operate a retail and service function who need frontage but prime access to the shipyard facilities,” explained Luke McCaul, general manager of customer experience and facilities management. GCCM is celebrating its 20th year of operations in 2020 and, through the last two decades, has continued to invest in the site making it the most awarded shipyard and marina in Australia. The new marine hub comes immediately after the completion of undercover work bays plus significant investments, in recent years, to increase the lifting capacity of the yard plus services and amenities for boat owners and crew. Future investment plans that include a Stage 2 development, which will more than double the size and lift capacity, are also currently at design and approval stage. Works Since completion in February of the AU0 million superyacht yard at The Boat Works, Coomera, Queensland, positive demand has driven the start of Stage 3 of the project. All is on track to commence in August with a forecast for completion by the end of 2020 in time for the peak summer season. Stage 3 will be a million development comprising an additional 10,000m² (107,600ft²) of purpose-built marine workshops and retail facilities to complement the existing superyacht yard expansion. An additional 12 marine service workshops will cover half the space and include marine retail showrooms facilitating a range of marine professions, such as engineering, fabrication and refinishing works and custom trimmers – creating 250 new jobs. This will boost the number of trades and marine professionals on site to over 1,000 on any given day. The other 50% will consist of four new high bay ‘Super Sheds’ for specific controlled work environments for larger vessels. An expansive dedicated sandblast bay with unlimited height options for vessels up to 55m (180ft) in length complements the existing array of controlled work environments on offer. “We have fast-tracked Stage 3 due to demand following the new superyacht yard, which has been operating at capacity since May,” explains general manager Shane Subichin. Since opening just five months ago, the new yard has proven popular with the region’s superyachts, both privately owned and commercial, many of which took Cutting the ribbon (l to r): Tom Tate, Donna Gates and Tony Longhurst. 38 www.marinaworld.com - July/August 2020

advantage of the COVID-19 restrictions to undertake refit work and routine maintenance. “We made the decision in March to adapt to the realities of COVID-19 restrictions, offering a genuine stimulus to haul out and store vessels, including the local and visiting charter fleet who were unable to operate,” says owner Tony Longhurst. “We have experienced an influx of vessels through both yards which kept us all afloat. Both yards are now operating to capacity.” The city’s mayor, Tom Tate, and deputy mayor, Donna Gates, were welcomed to join Longhurst for the official ribbon cutting ceremony. “It’s exciting to be here to see this dream realised,” the mayor said. “Our marine sector is going ahead in leaps and bounds and it is exciting to see a Gold Coast company like The Boat Works Creating marine jobs in Portsmouth Harbour UK-based Marina Projects is continuing its support of Portsmouth City Council’s (PCC’s) ambitious redevelopment of the Tipner West site on the edge of Portsmouth Harbour, England. The development will deliver a substantial marine employment site, of over 10ha (25 acres) within a ground-breaking new community. The proposals for Tipner West include the creation of a marine employment, training, education and research campus that will support approximately 2,000 jobs. The site has been earmarked for development for many years and, as well as including the marine sector proposals, will deliver a modern carfree community with approximately 4,000 new homes. To achieve this overall objective, significant reclamation into Portsmouth Harbour is proposed. Comprehensive transport plans include the use of water taxis to connect with local communities and other transport infrastructure. The project value exceeds £1.5 billion. Marina Projects’ scope includes: • Site assessment to identify the optimum access to water opportunities to make best use of site for the marine sector • Market research of the marine employment market • Marine sector stakeholder engagement including the harbour authority and local boating clubs • Support to the concept design, masterplanning and project costings • Input to the complex consent regime and regulator consultation Marina Projects managing director, Mike Ward, explains: “There is a very strong case for marine employment at Tipner West. National policy to expand the sector recognises the Solent region as key to the UK’s maritime economy and within the region there is a recognised shortage of waterfront marine employment sites.” “Tipner West has all of the attributes to deliver a regionally significant marine employment site, including critical deep-water access, and our market research has identified numerous sectors with significant growth potential that are currently being constrained by lack of access to key infrastructure,” he continues. “These include, among others, the commercial repair/refit market and superyacht sector. The site is at a key gateway into the city, and Portsmouth’s maritime heritage and skills base will YARD & MARINE FACILITIES continuing to prosper, expand and create jobs during these difficult times.” Today, the entire facility occupies 22.3ha (55 acres) with over 60 marine businesses and the Gold Coast’s largest ship lift, a 300 tonne capacity Marine Travelift. The Boat Works is a vibrant, evolving community at the heart of the Coomera Marine Precinct and a proud contributor to the burgeoning economy of southeast Queensland. ensure the benefits delivered underpin the economic growth of the city and wider region. This is a project that is particularly important to me. We are a local marine sector business truly invested in assisting to deliver the potential of the sector.” Megan Carter, senior regeneration manager at PCC adds: “As our exciting plans move forward, we continue to gain intelligence around what is required for this tremendous development. This would not be possible without having a team enriched with expertise and passion for success. Marina Projects are specialists who personify these qualities and they have provided us with the vital insight required to design and create this significant marine employment. We look forward to progressing through the next phase of work collaboratively.” Marina Projects is working alongside PCC and a professional team, including planning consultants Savills, master planners Gensler, and WSP for engineering and design services. Ripe for development: CGI of Tipner West/Portsmouth Harbour site. www.marinaworld.com - July/August 2020 39

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