Member News
By: MIASF Staff
Date posted: Aug 27, 2019 Tue
Oceanmax, leading innovator of underwater coatings, announced the next phase of its planned global expansion to support greater market penetration for its existing line and new introductions planned for Q3, 2019 and beyond. Oceanmax is scheduled to open new offices in Europe and America to support growth. The company said these locations will serve as centers of excellence for new products, enhance support for current and future customers and allow for deeper integration with soon-to-be-announced partners around the globe. To drive sales and business growth, current Oceanmax CEO Clint Jones will assume the role of President International Sales. His responsibilities will include global sales and support staff, channel development, and international expansion. Chris Baird, former Managing Director for Fusion Entertainment, assumed the role of CEO/Managing Director on August 12.
ComMar Sales, a Rhode Island-based representative of marine product manufacturers, celebrates 50 years of serving the marine industry in September. Founded in Massachusetts by Bill Glaser in 1969, ComMar got its start representing technical marine electronics manufacturers from Maine to Virginia. In the 1980s, ComMar added marine hardware and safety lines, and from the 1990s to 2008 expanded its representation to the southeast U.S. states, the Caribbean islands, and the Gulf Coast states.
IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande Marina - St. Thomas, USVI becomes the first North American marina to ever be awarded Gold Anchor ‘Platinum’ Level accreditation from The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA), which manages possibly the oldest and most prestigious international marina rating system in the world. By attaining their highest possible accreditation, IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande Marina establishes itself as one of the best marinas in the world. The arduous process to attain a platinum level rating required Yacht Haven Grande Marina to pass a comprehensive external audit encompassing design, operations, polices, procedures, communications, destination integration, and an independently administered review of the marina’s customer service enquiry standards. The fact that Yacht Haven Grande Marina caters to the largest superyachts in the world (up to 600ft’ / 182m) on a remote Caribbean Island, makes this achievement even more outstanding given the level of custom services required for this unique market segment.
Capping off this achievement is the resounding recovery of Yacht Haven Grande Marina and the island of St. Thomas after the 2017 hurricanes. Only four marinas have ever been awarded the platinum level designation by TYHA with none, except Yacht Haven Grande Marina, attaining this status after overcoming two single year Category Five hurricanes.
MarineMax Pompano recently raised over $20,000 to benefit the March of Dimes, with an exclusive Sea Ray Customer Appreciation Casino Night fundraiser and auction. The Sea Ray Customer Appreciation Casino Night raised a total of $20,293 in donations to the March of Dimes. The hot item of the night, which drew in $2,500 in donations, was an Admiral Marine Canvas & Upholstery voucher worth $3,000 in value. More big-ticket items included two in-home dinners by chef Anthony at $2,100 apiece, two yacht cruises at $1,600 apiece, and an enormous amount of Call-to-Heart donations totaling $4,500. On top of the live auction, guests enjoyed exploring the spectacular line up of boats and yachts on display, delicious food and drinks, and casino games like craps, blackjack, roulette, and slots. The March of Dimes is an 80-year-old not-for-profit organization that helps millions of moms and babies across the globe, no matter their age, socio-economic background or demographics.
Benetti’s 108m yacht, FB275, left the shipyard in Livorno as the largest yacht ever built by Benetti, and the first of the yard’s self-proclaimed “Giga Season” to be delivered. With naval architecture by Pierluigi Ausonio, FB275 has a steel hull and aluminum superstructure. Equipped with twin MTU 2880 kW engines and fuel capacity of 345,000 liters, the yacht has a maximum speed of 18.5 knots and a range of 6,500nm at 14 knots. There is also an electric Schottel stern SPJ pump jet to enable the yacht to travel distances powered entirely by electric propulsion. The yacht accommodates 22 guests and a crew of 29.
Global Marine Travel has been named in Travel Weekly’s 2019 Power List, the travel industry trade publication’s annual list that recognizes the top 54 travel agencies in the U.S. with $100 million or more in travel sales. GMT offers yacht crew specialized air/sea fares through a number of travel platforms and booking programs, as well as 24/7 customer service and advice on travel issues such as visa requirements. GMT, which is ranked No. 47 on the list, provides travel service to more than 300,000 maritime personnel around the world each year.
Through a lease-option, Nautical Ventures Group has taken over operations of Anglers Marina in Dania Beach and will rebrand the entity as Nautical Ventures Marine Center. On the 10-acre site, Nautical Ventures will build a new 200-unit drystack, a 15,000 square-foot state-of-the-art showroom, a six-bay parts service facility, a ship’s store, a waterfront restaurant with tiki bar, improve overall infrastructure for 120 wet slips, and be the future home of Nautical Ventures Boat Club. A newly built, custom houseboat is docked onsite, serving as an interim sales, brokerage and boat club office.
Lauderdale Marine Center (LMC), the largest yacht repair facility in the U.S., is pleased to announce that Ferretti Group America, a world leader in designing, building and marketing luxury motor yachts, has opened a 5,000 square foot office, workshop, and parts facility at LMC. Ferretti will employ eight full-time employees, with plans to add 15 to 20 new positions in the coming year at the LMC location. Ferretti's new parts department, which will be open to the public, will house more than 3,000 individual items and manage custom kits for spare parts for American owners of Ferretti Group brand boats. Ferretti's new service department is equipped to handle warranty work, routine maintenance, complete refits, and all phases of yacht refinishing for all Ferretti Group brands.
Located on the Miami River, full-service shipyard RMK Merrill-Stevens is renovating and rebuilding both the North and South shipyards as part of a $25M investment in the company. The investment will create approximately 100 new jobs now open to applicants at the historic shipyard known for superyacht repairs, maintenance, and refit. Among the roles that will be filled, the company is seeking to fill the following positions: Lead Marine Mechanic, Marine Mechanic, Diesel Mechanic (Volvo/Penta and/or Caterpillar certified), Lead Marine Carpenter, Marine Carpenter, Lead Marine Electrician, Marine Electrician, Lead Marine Welder, Marine Welder, Fiberglass Technician, Finish Painter, Bottom Painter, Marine Travel Lift Operator, Shipyard Foreman, Boat Detailer, Purchasing Associates, Purchasing Manager and Project Manager. New hires will receive competitive compensation, healthcare benefits, training, growth opportunities, and the rewarding opportunity to become part of the growing RMK Merrill-Stevens team. All applicants are required to provide work history, relevant qualifications, prove eligibility to work in the U.S., and take a drug test.