The Polish yacht industry at the high seas

A unique opportunity to promote the Polish yacht industry on Middle Eastern markets will be provided by an event concurrent with the World Exhibition - the Dubai International Boat Show. The yach industry trade show has been postponed from March 2021 to 2022. It will take place between 8 and 12 March 2022. There will be a national stand promoting the Polish yacht industry at the trade show. POLBOAT (Polish Chamber of Marine Industry and Water Sports) will support Polish shipyards, manufacturers and distributors.

The excellent condition of the yacht and shipbuilding industry is highlighted at Expo 2020 Dubai. Poland shows its export and investment potential, and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency is responsible for organising the country's participation in the World Expo. Polish Investment and Trade Agency has prepared the first such comprehensive economic programme consisting of over a dozen different initiatives. Poland Pavilion serves as a venue for presentations and stories about Poland. Its central part is occupied by the Polish Table, which consists of 120 milled wooden modules. Special modules made by artists, craftsmen and architects are an integral part of the installation. One of the modules has been prepared by the Conrad Shipyard, which specialises in building seagoing motor and sailing yachts with a length of at least 25 meters. Its design refers to the structure of a yacht's hull, which is made of steel and aluminium.

The module was constructed from cut metal elements that formed a network of trusses symbolising the interior of the yacht. Precious wood and stone cubes were inserted into the trusses. In this way, the creators showed the complexity of the production in miniature, and fitted in with the overall vision of the Polish Table and Pavilion project and the motto of our presentation - "Poland. Creativity inspired by nature." In the "III Poland. Spirit of ingenuity" visiting area of the Poland Pavilion the following Polish companies from the yacht industry are presented: Conrad Shipyard, Sunreef Yachts, Galeon and Northman Shipyard. The visitors can also obtain the most important information about the sector.

Polish company from Gdańsk presented the spectacular 40 Open Sunreef Power catamaran at the Dubai Boat Show 2018. It attracted a lot of attention - and what made it stand out from other vessels was the modern look with unlimited customisation options and a diamond-finished hull. Then, company president Francis Lapp announced a plan to develop a facility to produce the 40 Open Sunreef model in Dubai. At the show, the company also presented the Sunreef Supreme 68 Power Athena yacht, with over 300 m2 of living space. Thanks to our presence at the Dubai trade show, we not only confirmed that we are the leading exporter of yachts (according to Eurostat, Polish yacht export accounts for 60 per cent of the total value of EU yacht export), but we also set new trends in this rapidly developing industry.

The Polish yacht and shipbuilding industry is developing at a very fast pace and has been the trademark of our country in the world for several years now. We produce about 22,000 yachts per year, which makes us the leader in the production of 6-9 metre yachts in Europe and the second country after the United States. We have become a regional yacht manufacturer whose services are mostly used by Norway (in 2016 it bought yachts for EUR 70 million), France (46 million) and Germany (44 million). Countries outside the EU are also interested in our vessels: Australia, China, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. In 2017, the export value of domestically produced boats and yachts totalled as much as EUR 484 million.

The event that significantly influenced the popularity of the Polish yacht industry in the Middle East was the Dubai Boat Show 2018. The national stand was organised by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, which is also responsible for Poland's participation in Expo 2020 Dubai. Its task was to promote leading Polish yacht companies that invest in quality, new technologies and materials. Among other things, there were many inquiries about Polish components for manufacture from customers from the United Arab Emirates and Middle Eastern countries. Luxury yachts and catamarans were particularly popular.