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Multimillion-dollar, custom-made yachts for the rich and famous will soon be built in Ras Al Khaimah.
Construction has begun on a factory that will build sleek, 55-foot and 70-foot twin-hull boats to supply a growing demand in the Middle East and Asia.
Francis Lapp, founder and president of Sunreef Yachts, says his ambition for the new Dh100 million ($27.2 million) shipyard is to eventually be the same size as the company’s facilities in Gdansk, Poland, which employs 2,000 people.
Even before the factory opens in September, work has begun on securing orders from buyers around the world, including Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, for bespoke, high-end catamarans with inbuilt solar panels.
“From this facility in Ras Al Khaimah, we can deliver boats everywhere,” Mr Lapp told The National aboard his 80-foot yacht anchored in Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah marina.
“This is the right place to start something new. When finished, it will be the same size as we have in Poland eventually.”
The plan is for Sunreef's superyachts — which are longer than 24 metres or 78 feet and typically need a crew — to be built in Poland and the mid-range catamarans to be constructed in the UAE.
The price for compact 50-foot vessels to spacious transatlantic 140-foot yachts ranges from $2 million to $50 million.
“We are looking at new customers, not only in China, Australia, Singapore and Asian countries, but also in the Middle East, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia,” the French entrepreneur said.
“Fifty per cent of the sales will be only for the region.
“In Ras Al Khaimah, we will build a totally new line that we will announce later.”
Floating holidays for the stars
Tennis star Rafael Nadal, Formula One champions Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, and Spanish singer Julio Iglesias are among some of Sunreef’s most famous clients.
What comes in each yacht's luxurious interior depends on the buyer’s choice. Many include jacuzzis, a gym and a treadmill on the upper deck, while the bedrooms can come with floor-to-ceiling ocean-view windows.
The luxury yachts — often described as floating villas — have lounge areas that double as outdoor cinemas and walkaround paths that skirt the boat.
Extravagance was the draw when the yacht business boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the wealthy looked for holiday options away from crowded tourist spots.
“The first two months of the pandemic, we sold nothing. It was difficult,” Mr Lapp said
“Then [for] two years of the pandemic, we had 50-60 per cent more sales than in the normal times.
“People understood the pandemic would not be for two-three months, it will be for a longer time so they bought boats to be safe for their holiday.
“People wanted a different holiday — not in hotels but on boats.
“Now after the pandemic, we will continue [to have good sales] — maybe not at the same concentration.”
Buoyant market brings boatbuilder to Ras Al Khaimah
Mr Lapp has been living in Dubai for the past two years.
He moved his base from Poland to Palm Jumeirah and travels daily to Ras Al Khaimah to check on the progress.
“I live in Dubai now because I want to be close to the factory,” Mr Lapp said.
“I am 64 years old. A lot of my friends have stopped work, but for me, it’s a challenge to do something new.”
Training begins
Master builders from the main factory in Poland are training 60 workers from countries including Sri Lanka and India in a rented space near the RAK Maritime City Free Zone.
Inside the high-ceiling space, the builders work on preparing sections of fibreglass frames that will be used in various sections of the yachts — from the fly bridge to the mast.
This is the first overseas facility for the Polish company, which Mr Lapp founded 21 years ago.
The two sites in Poland on the Baltic Sea build about 45 boats a year.
The new facility in Ras Al Khaimah is spread over 65,000 square metres. It will employ about 400 people after the first three months and increase to 1,000 by the end of next year.
On site, workers in cranes are readying the main building. Construction will soon begin on a woodwork unit and on a building to house the machine to make moulds for the boats.
“This is the beginning,” Mr Lapp said. “Two thousand [staff]? That is my dream for the next three-four years.
“I want to have the same size of factory, to build the same big boats as in Poland.”
Quiet cruising
He aims to tap into the growing demand for solar boats that give owners quiet, green cruising instead of noisy diesel engines.
The boats utilise energy from the sun across a “solar skin”, with photovoltaic panels built into the hull and across the mast to not only power the yacht, but also run air-conditioning, heating and cooking units.
“Half of our sale is in solar,” he said.
“I see people interested in solar in this region. [Business] people want clients to see they are thinking of the ecosystem.
“We are in a country where you have petrol but people’s demand is changing.
“They don’t want big tanks with fuel and the [fuel] smell on the boat.”
New RAK terminal
Ras Al Khaimah Port Authority said the facility was part of major expansion plans that include a new terminal.
“We are undertaking a massive port development and expansion programme to create a new terminal facility,” said Ankush Vohra, business development manager of RAK Ports.
“Our free-zone customers have direct access to quayside facilities, enabling them to secure large-scale, global projects that can be built in our free zone and then exported directly from Ras Al Khaimah.
“This was one of the major attractions for Sunreef.”
Poland has a long tradition of shipbuilding and Mr Lapp was a pioneer in the country's luxury yacht business.
His ambition is to do similar for the UAE in the high-end catamaran sector.
The Middle East has a special significance for Mr Lapp, who worked in a company that built hospitals in Saudi Arabia in the 1980s.
“I am proud of what we are doing here. I like this [region] from when I was young. My heart is in these Arabic countries,” he said.
“Now I’m happy to come back and to build something new.”
