The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) met for its 65th session from 13 to 17 May 2013, at the IMO headquarters in London.
At the meeting the Russian delegation proposed a delay to the NOx Tier III amendments of five years, until 1 January 2021. The USA proposed that the North America and US Caribbean Territories NOx Emission Control Areas (ECA’s) should still be implemented on 1 January 2016 (with an exemption for yachts less than 500GT), but for no other NOx ECAs to be implemented before a five year delay of 1 January 2021.
The proposal would be sent as a formal amendment in due course to allow responses and for discussion at the MEPC 66 in March 2014. China and Russia did not comment on the USA’s intervention and the chairman merely advised that the matter would have to be considered at MEPC 66. Italy reserved its position. (http://www.ibinews.com, 22 May 2013)
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The Spanish marina now provides a 6.6kV onshore power system for superyachts
Marina Port Tarraco in Spain has upgraded its onshore power system to 6.6kV. The revamped system is backed up with the marina’s existing 1250 amps at 400 volts.
Margarete Kalinowski, sales and marketing executive at Port Tarraco, says the installation of 6.6kV onshore power ensures Port Tarraco is prepared for forthcoming legal requirements and is ahead of the trend, which will see more superyachts using 6.6kV power systems.
The availability of stable, high-power systems from the shore means that yachts in the marina can operate using single cables connected to shore power rather than running on-board generators while in port. The indication is that in the near future there will be European directives requiring that yachts and merchant vessels in port use onshore power rather than generators.
Located at the heart of the residential area of Tarragona on the Catalonian coast of Spain, Port Tarraco has a 9m (30ft) draft and can accommodate 64 yachts from 30m-160m (98ft-525ft). (https://plus.ibinews.com, 20 mAY 2013)
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Michael Payne is CNI’s chief commercial officer
Michael Payne, chief commercial officer (CCO) at Camper & Nicholsons International, has been appointed CEO of the company with immediate effect.
“I am honoured and excited to accept such an important position within the world’s most prominent yachting company,” says Payne. “I look forward to working with Camper & Nicholsons to further develop their leading international presence within the industry.”
As CCO, Payne oversaw all aspects of C&N’s brokerage division. Actively involved in all aspects of the industry, he has attained the rank of captain and built an outstanding reputation as one of the leading and most well respected brokers worldwide.
Camper & Nicholsons International specialises in the sale, purchase, charter, marketing, management and construction of yachts. The company was established in 1782. (https://plus.ibinews.com, 3 May 2013)
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Harald Baum has spent 50 years with the firm
A surprise party was held on Monday for Harald Baum, head of marine insurance provider Pantaenius, to celebrate his 50 years of service with the firm.
Around 350 business partners, clients and employees gathered in the Chilehaus building in Hamburg to congratulate Baum, who was unaware of the party until the last minute.
Baum arrived at the company’s old headquarters with his daughter Anna Baum and was joined by wife Undine and their two sons Daniel and Martin.
During the event there was a concert by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra and Menso Heyl, former editor-in-chief of the Hamburger Abendblatt and current editor of Yacht magazine, gave a speech.
Pantaenius claims to be the largest yacht insurance provider in Europe with a significant presence worldwide. The company has been insuring yachts for more than 40 years, and has offices in Germany, the UK, Mediterranean, Scandinavia, Austria, Australia and the US. (https://plus.ibinews.com, 26 April 2013)
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The Palma Superyacht Brokerage and Charter Show is a new initiative which will take place in the heart of Palma’s historical city and run from 1 to 5 May. Organised alongside the 30th Palma Boat Show, show organisers say the show is “carefully timed at the beginning of the Mediterranean season to enable discerning clients to either purchase or charter a yacht before the start of the summer season.”
The timing of the Palma show will mean that the MYBA Charter Show, which runs from 29 April to 3 May in Genoa, will take a hit as potential charter clients decide which destination to visit. With the bigger names in brokerage represented at both shows, visitor numbers will come down to which yachts are exhibited or which destination represents more allure or convenience.
At Palma six major international brokerage companies will be exhibiting yachts, either for sale or for charter during the five days. Around 40 yachts are expected, both sail and power, from 24 metres in length. Among the yachts are, CRN’s Emotion exhibited by Burgess, Abeking & Rasmussen’s Hetairos exhibited by Ocean Independence, and Alloy Yachts’ Imagine exhibited by Fraser Yachts.
The Palma Superyacht Brokerage and Charter Show organisers have emphasised that the show will be an important vehicle set to highlight the importance of the superyacht industry and the significant foreign revenue inflow and local employment it generates on the island. Superyachts have formed a substantial part of the Balearics yachting community for decades and organisers say it’s fitting that they should have a strong presence at this annual nautical festival. (http://www.ibinews.com, 24 April 2013)
More than 35,000 visitors attended the inaugural event
The 1st Valencia Boat Show, which closed its doors on Monday, received over 35,000 visitors during five days. Attendance peaked on the Sunday with over 17,000 visitors registered through the gates.
With 60 exhibitors and close to 100 boats on the water, the show exceeded the targets initially set by the organisers for this first edition and the expectations of most visitors. (https://plus.ibinews.com, 23 April 2013)
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This year’s event will be held in January 2014
News has just reached IBI that the 2013 Sanya (China) International Boat Show has been postponed from December 13-16 to January 10-13, 2014.
(https://plus.ibinews.com, 19 April 2013)
The 5th edition of international nautical fair, Adriatic Boat Show, which runs from 9 to 12 May, hopes to gather the leading players of the nautical industry in Croatia and the surrounding region. But this year, for the first time, ABS 2013 will be held in new venue, the historic harbour of the old Sibenik town.
Show organisers, Nautical Center Prgin (NCP) say the event will offer a “rich and interesting exhibiting, congress and entertainment program.” (Superyacht Business, 26 March 2013)
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The imperious need for financial resources affecting countries in the current economic crisis has forced tax authorities, the Spanish Inland Revenue (AEAT) to tighten up on tax fraud and tax avoidance investigatians as well as any potential irregularities. Yachting is and has been for a long time the object of scrupulous examinations by the Inspección de Tributos, Spanish tax Inspection authorities, in line with Government approved annual inspection plan. Initially the aforementioned plans were aimed solely at Spanish national yacht owners, the idea being to uncover irregularities and fraud in the payment of the “Impuesto Especial Sobre Determinados Medios de Transporte” a Special Tax an certain means of transport (particularly charter yachts) and the price of boat conveyancing, subject to VAT or ITP -Spanish transfer tax. However, the Spanish government has taken a turn to focus on revising the tax situation as regards yachts registered outside Spain but navigating Spanish waters andlor moored in Spanish ports. (THE BEST nº 51, 2013)
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Greece’s Parliament are to vote on a bill to lift ‘cabotage’ laws by the end of the month, the first stage in a plan to boost its prospects as premier superyacht destination.
The rules are predicted to make Greece a more attractive and viable place to charter, but also lay the groundwork for its leasing of marinas for investment scheme, which began last year with D-Marin and Camper & Nicholson Marinas both acquiring marinas for development.
Giannis Markogiannis, lawyer and government adviser on yachting and marinas legislation in Greece, has been working on the drafts of the New Yachting Law including the ‘cabotage’ yachting bill for months, and he is now in a position to achieve voting in before summer.
“I am pressing (competent Ministries) now because if they stall another month they will lose the summer season. The longer it takes for this one to pass the longer they have to wait also for the launching of marinas and the ports tender so it’s now their interest to run,” he said.
Greece’s current system is unpopular with many yacht charterers and captains, who say it requires convoluted and illogical routes. The laws actually came in to replace cabotage which was abolished in 2003, but their requirements on EU flagged yachts ended up as equally onerous. For example, laws require EU flagged yachts when embarking or disembarking passengers in Greece to have a designated office in Greece or appoint a captain with a Greek pension scheme. Many cannot comply and so are forced to skip huge parts of the Greece coastline in order to rush charter guests back to Turkey or Montenegro where they can be legally dropped off.
“From personal experience over the last thirty years, I think a change in this law that allows embarkation in a Greek port and disembarkation in another Greek Port, would attract a many more charters to Greece,” said Captain Jules Cope of 75m Leander, who argued the change could also bring huge benefits to the Greek economy:
“We have all experienced the harsh operating conditions that are present during the Meltemi season. Having no cabotage restrictions would then mean that the western side of Greece could benefit from having many more cruising yachts in that part of the country in July and August, due to the often mirror like conditions. The amount of revenue that pours into ports from superyachts when they are chartering therefore would pour into these ports throughout the Ionian.” (http://www.superyachtnews.com, 13 March 2013)
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