Today, MB92 Barcelona has announced that its new 4,800-ton shiplift is fully operational. With the capacity to haul out up to nine superyachts of 115m and below, the completed infrastructure represents a significant development for the larger sector of the superyacht market.

With the unveiling of the new shiplift, MB92 Barcelona also has the capacity to host the vast majority of the world’s sailing yachts, as it contains an integrated keel pit measuring 14.5m in length, 5m width and 8m depth, for daggerboard work.

“This serious investment demonstrates our continued commitment to improving our service and to provide our clients with state-of-the-art haul-out solutions,” says Pepe García-Aubert, President and CEO of the MB92 Group. “I am immensely proud of the enormous effort it has taken to bring this project to fruition and would like to thank everyone involved for their dedication in achieving this great success. Our new shiplift provides us with increased haul-out capacity, efficiency and effectiveness for all work requiring the yacht to be out of the water.”

"This serious investment demonstrates our continued commitment to improving our service and to provide our clients with state-of-the-art haul-out solutions.

-  Pepe García-Aubert, President and CEO, MB92 Group.

Having been conceived four years ago, the construction of the new shiplift began in the summer of 2015 with the dismantling of the paint shed. The team has worked harmoniously with leading names in civil engineering including Pearlson Shiplift and Enginyeria Revento´s, with additional support from the Barcelona Port Authorities.

“There is now a great deal of flexibility and increased effectiveness for the larger sector of the market,” says Henk Dreijer, Chief Business Development Officer of MB92. “We have had the syncrolift for a number of years, which has a 2000-tonne capacity and space for yachts up to 70m. But if the vessel was larger than that, before the new shiplift, they would have to go onto the 200-metre dry dock.”

“This project has opened up a huge amount of potential for the larger sectors of the industry,” Dreijer continues. “That larger sector of the superyacht industry is one that is seeing growth; there are more and more larger vessels in production now. So, not only is this necessary for now, but moving forward, it is becoming increasingly more important to be able to offer this kind of service.”

As specified by the facility, the 2019-2020 season is shaping up to be a busy period for MB92, with much interest shown in reserving space on the new platform. “This new development opens up a much wider range of options and flexibility for our clients during the traditionally busier periods of the year, when scheduling dry dock work can prove complicated,” adds Dreijer. “With several projects currently in consideration, we look forward to turning more visions into reality.”

“This new development opens up a much wider range of options and flexibility for our clients during the traditionally busier periods of the year, when scheduling dry dock work can prove complicated.”

- Henk Dreijer, Chief Business Development Officer, MB92

Alongside this exciting new development, MB92 has also made a number of infrastructural developments across the group including an additional 4,000-ton shiplift in La Ciotat, where there will be 23,000sqm of hard standing for yachts up to 105 metres, expected for completion in 2023. But further still, MB92 has also invested in a new control building and water cooling towers in Barcelona, as well as a new 70-ton crane and new Access Control Centre building in La Ciotat.

“We have made a number of investments in infrastructure in both Barcelona and La Ciotat in order to cater for larger 80-metre-plus superyachts,” explained, García-Aubert, in a recent interview with The Superyacht Report. “According to industry data, this was a growing segment in our market and we noted that we were under-capacity to tailor for the 80-metre-plus yachts.”

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MB92 Barcelona

MB92 La Ciotat

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