on 26 Jan 2023
The shipyard, which celebrates its 21st anniversary this year, has delivered over 170 yachts to date
Turkish shipyard Numarine has confirmed that last year was its “best ever” for sales, as the firm gears up for increased production in 2023.
“[The year] 2022 marked our 20th anniversary and was the best year we’ve ever had,” says Ömer Malaz, Chairman of Numarine. “And it looks like the next 12 months will mimic it.”
Inside Numarine’s 35,000-square-metre, climate-controlled production facility near Istanbul, there are currently 13 yachts total under construction in the 22XP, 26XP and 37XP ranges (the 37XP made its boat show debut last year). In the past five years, the company says it has found a successful niche in crossover-style explorer yachts.
37XP – Image courtesy of Numarine
That change of focus has proven to be a winner and last year Numarine became the first yacht builder in the country to be accepted into Turquality, the Turkish government’s brand accreditation and grant support initiative.
“We’ve delivered over 170 yachts to date, so we now have a very credible pedigree with a niche product”, says Malaz, adding that exports account for around 70 per cent of Numarine sales with 20 per cent in Turkey, 35 per cent in the US, 25 per cent from other European countries, and the remaining 10 per cent from elsewhere.
Turkey is now challenging the top yacht-building nations of Italy, the Netherlands and Germany. According to SuperyachtTimes’ report State of Yachting 2022, the country’s shipyards rank third in the world, with 70 new builds over 24m under construction in 2022. The nation also overtook the Netherlands in terms of most yachts built between 30m-40m.
30XP
The brand has also acquired land to expand its production with a new waterside facility, where Numarine will build its new flagship, the steel and aluminium tri-decker 45XP expected to enter serial production. Having delivered an average of eight boats a year for the past two decades, today Numarine is delivering a dozen yachts per annum and soon the tally will be nearer 15 once its new waterside facility is fully up and running.
“We are about to deliver our 37XP number 8 with another five in production and, down the line, we hope to have six 45s in production,” says Malaz. “I don’t think there is anything that a 60-metre or 70-metre yacht can do that a 45-metre cannot. That is why we’re staying under 50 meters for the foreseeable future.”
READ: Spotlight – Numarine 37XP: A new approach
Despite the imminent expansion, Numarine fully intends to keep construction in-house to ensure consistent quality and optimum flexibility. In addition to the hull and superstructure production using the latest in vacuum infusion technology and composite materials such as kevlar and carbon fibre, Numarine has glass, cabinetry, upholstery and metal workshops.
Numarine 22XP – Credit: Kerem Sanliman
Moreover, it is prepared to start hulls on speculation to shorten delivery times and maintain efficient production flow. Given the reputation for self-sufficiency the company trades on, its explorer specifications tend to be higher than more mainstream yachts, which means add-on costs are relatively low, rarely adding more than around 10 per cent (excluding engine choices) to the final price.
Post-Covid, the supply chain is still an ongoing concern for all shipbuilders, but Numarine has been able to mitigate the effects by ordering critical components in advance. “We have gone so far as to order engines for yachts scheduled for delivery in 2025,” says Malaz.
Sustainability is another key issue that will only become more important in the coming years as prospective owners increasingly expect more sustainable building practices and greener onboard technologies. “If we do not address the problem, we become part of it,” says Malaz. “We are trying to be a leader in sustainability, not a follower.”
In fact, Numarine has expanded its product range with an innovative new model, the diesel-hybrid 30XP, the first for the company with hybrid propulsion, which is scheduled to launch in 2024.