Sirena Marine to boost size of its luxury vessels
Turkish shipbuilder Sirena Marine is to boost the size of its flagship vessels by up to 20m, reflecting the health of the domestic superyacht industry, says CEO Çağın Genç.
After building yachts up to 30m (98ft), Sirena Marine now announced the construction of 35m, 42m and 50m (pictured) vessels.
“This has been in our plans since 2006,” Genç told Superyacht Investor at the Monaco Yacht Show last month. “Everything has come together now at the perfect time. Since the success of our previous models, we wanted to keep getting bigger and growing as a company.”
The Instanbul-based shipyard already has prospective buyers lined up for its larger yachts. Previous customers have enquired about upgrading to larger vessels for some time. At the entry level end of the scale, Siren Marine produced vessels starting at 18m (61ft). Following the announcement, the new superyacht line will produce yachts up to 50m (164ft).
“Our goal has been to provide yachts that exceed expectations in every size category in which we build,” said İpek Kıraç, chairwoman and president, Sirena Marine. “We are now ready to take the next step, which is why we are pushing beyond the 100ft threshold.”
The new yachts will reflect buyers’ changing demographics, said Genç. “[Sirena Marine’s] customers’ average age has dropped by about 10 years and is now between the 40–50-year mark,” he said. “So, we have removed the formal dining area, as these owners want to be more sociable in the exterior areas and enjoy more informal meals with their friends.”
New ventures rarely come without risks. Current supply chain and workforce issues are top of Genç’s list of obstacles to overcome. “Obviously, I can see manpower being an issue. We have a bit of a problem in Turkey where a lot of great shipbuilders move to Italy or the Netherlands.”
If the Turkish shipbuilding industry is able to retain these quality builders , Turkey would continue to compete with the best in Europe, Genç acknowledged.
“Italy is of course the best, but if you look at the stats, Turkey is up and competing with the likes of Germany and the Netherlands at the top,” he said. “It’s all about continuing to make that push forward.”
