Is China ready to enter the global Superyacht construction market? They have been knocking on the door for a few years now but they seem to be ready to take on some of the worlds leading yards according to the cover story of the September issue of
Superyacht Business.
Due to the rise in their economy and the ever growing wealth with the recent anouncement of their one millionth millionaire, their yacht sales reached a total of $260m US dollars in 2010 which was an increase of 142% from 2009. Government support and the rapidly growing shore line development, where most developments have marina's has also contributed to the rise in the yacht market. It is suggested that yacht sales will rise by 20 to 30 per cent annually over the next 5 years.
China have a lot of up and coming yards which include Zhuhai Sunbird yachts, IAG and Jet Tern. some of the most well know yards in china would be Cheoy Lee, McConaghy and Kingship.
Currently McConaghy yachts are in the middle of constructing
Adastra a 141ft trimaran for a Hong Kong based client who is keen on long rage ocean cruising.
Kingship have just signed a contract for the construction of a new 246ft expedition mega yacht project name
Arctic Whale. She will be able to accommodate 12 guests in 6 en suite cabins on expeditions to the most remote corners of the world.
The dragon is starting to rise and China's Superyacht industry is starting to become a major player in the industry.
The 42.5m (139ft) trimaran 'Adastra' was launched the other week by McConaghy Boats in Zhuhai, China for Hong Kong clients for long range ocean voyaging. She looks like a yacht that is straight out of the set of a James Bond movie with her sleek curved lines. Adastra is the result of 5 years of design and development by McConaghy Boats, John Shuttleworth Yacht Design and Orion Shuttleworth Design Ltd who were responsible for the exterior design and the interior design by Jepsen Design. They have taken the power trimaran concept and pushed it further than previous trimarans like 'Earthrace' and 'Cables and Wireless' which were stripped out record breaking machines. They have succeeded in turning this concept into a luxury Megayacht fit to explore the worlds oceans.
Adastra has an astonishing 16m beam that creates a spacious saloon on the main deck which offer great views through panoramic windows. The saloon includes a lounge area, dining table and the navigation station. There is a forward facing door through the saloon windows which provides easy access to the large sunbed on the foredeck. The aft deck includes a sofa and bar on the port side and a dining area on the starboard side, further aft there is space to be able to store a 4.9m tender and a second 3.1m tender can be stored in the garage below. She will be able to accommodate up to 9 guests with the owner having a full beam cabin located aft as well as a further 2 guest cabins, the accommodation area has direct access to the main saloon. She will be crewed by a team of 6 on her world travels and will have a max speed of 22.5kts and a range of 4,000nm at a speed of 17kts. 
