1 minute read
Onwards and Upw ards
by Fact ME
The launch of Al Shaali Marine’s AS100 heralds the start of the company’s move towards the super yacht segment. Hadag sits down with CEO Sultan Al Shaali to find out more… aT ThE DuBaI International Boat Show, Al Shaali Marine staged an important launch for the company, the AED20 million AS100. “The 100ft is the biggest yacht we’ve made so far, and next year we’re also launching the 130ft triple deck, but this is our second stepping stone into the super yacht industry,” explains Sultan.
In order to accommodate production of the larger yachts the company will be producing, they are building a new facility in addition to their current shipyard in Ajmaan.
“Our original facility is around 25km from the coast, so we are developing the new waterfront shipyard specifically for the yachts, and looking to separate the operation between small crafts and yachts,” explains Sultan. “We also have an operation base and manufacturing facility in the Maldives.”
AS Marine’s unique advantage in the market is its extensive in-house manufacturing facilities, which allow for several production processes to be operating in tandem allowing for quicker delivery.
“As a group we do most of our manufacturing in-house. We have the fibreglass facility which we developed for the marine industry, metal work, engineering, and so on. It took us less than a year to build the AS100, which is very quick by industry standards.”
The other advantage is a distinct local knowledge from having been in the industry in the region for three-and-a-half-decades. “The philosophy of our design and manufacturing follows the philosophy of the Arabic world,” explains Sultan. “The difference between a European boat and an Arabian boat is that a European yacht might be dedicated to six people, whereas with the Arabian boats, you see more of the large hospitality, so you can entertain up to 25 people on board. This also gives us an advantage in the charter industry, because a lot of the charter companies here don’t operate like charter companies in the Mediterranean with weekly charters, they go for hourly charters, usually for a private party or a corporate event.”
Look out for bigger and better releases from AS Marine in the very near future.
