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Kaohsiung City Government Builds South Star Yacht Industry Park into Asia's Luxury Yacht Manufacturing Base

2015/01/28 | By Steve Chuang

Despite a yacht industry with development for  over four decades, Taiwan, reputed as “Kingdom of Yachts,” is still a mostly unsung hero in the sector, with products never spotlighted in high-end consumer magazines as "How to Spend It."

Horizon, a shipyard in southern Taiwan, however takes an enviable berth in the Superyacht Intelligence Report (charterworld.com). Unknown to outsiders, Horizon, in 2009-2013, is one of only 20 shipyards globally who delivered over 10 yachts, specifically 18 yachts for a total of 2,038.39 feet (621.30 m) during that time.

But as market demand gradually moves towards highly customized, high-quality megayachts (typically ranging 50m-100m in length) with high unit-prices, Taiwanese shipyards, who have been over the decades mostly building garden-variety yachts with low added-value, are taking on such challenge to sustain their future development.

Kaohsiung, the port city in southern Taiwan blessed with nearly year-round sun and geographic conditions ideal for yacht manufacturing,  contributes 80 percent of Taiwan's overall yacht production value.

To meet market trends, local yacht makers urgently need larger shipyards and dry-docks close to water to build megayachts, superyachts that can be real-world tested before delivery. Responding to such demand, the Kaohsiung City Government is developing the South Star Yacht Industry Park on reclaimed land in southern Kaohsiung, to house well-integrated supply chain of yacht makers, suppliers of marine hardware, yacht parts and components and logistic operators to boost the industry's overall competitiveness and create more jobs in the city.

To enhance the industry's sustainable development and become Asia's luxury yacht manufacturing base, the park will feature not only industrial clustering, but also eco-friendly infrastructure and complete facilities, including solar power generation, large shipyards, and boat launching facilities, to meet manufacturers' requirements to  build megayachts and superyachts. Moreover, the park is near the Kaohsiung Port and Kaohsiung International Airport, with roads to be built to  help resident yacht makers to enhance operating efficiency and cut transport costs.

Adjacent the Kaohsiung Port Container Center, the SSYIP is spread over 110.82 hectares and to be divided into five zones for administration, yacht building, support manufacturing, on-water testing, and public facilities. More notable is that the park will be developed using sustainable technologies along with specialized environmental-quality management, monitoring and control mechanisms, in order to achieve balanced development of the local economy, environment and ecology while leveraging the industry's global competitiveness.

(SC)