Two significant property acquisitions have been announced by superyacht refit company, Oceania Marine. The properties are situated at Port Whangarei in New Zealand. These acquisitions, including more than 8 hectares of land as well as extensive buildings, elevates Oceania Marine to one of the larger shipyard operations in the Pacific region.
50-metre superyacht at Oceania Marine Shipyard
Directors, Martin and Shannon Gleeson, issued a joint statement: “We are pleased to confirm that we have purchased the freehold of our shipyard property. This, combined with the signing of a long lease for another shipyard facility, located close by, ensures that our company has long term security as well as the ability to significantly expand the services that we offer.”
The combined property holdings consist of 8.4 hectares of land and 19,699m2 of building floor space encompassing refit sheds, paint sheds, specialist fabrication facilities, workshops, stores and offices.
It also gives Oceania Marine access to deep water for larger and deeper draft vessels. Company development plans include introducing more flexible and larger capacity haul and launch facilities which will widen the range of vessels handled by the shipyard.
Martin comments further: “We operate an 800 tonne conventional slipway which is configured for vessels in the range of 20 to 55 metres and have successfully developed a niche between smaller travelift operations and the larger commercial shipyards. To grow our business we need to cater for a wider range of vessels and improve vessel transportation capabilities to hardstand or undercover spaces. In addition we have identified opportunities both above and below the band in which we now operate that we wish to expand into.”
As well as strengthening Oceania Marine’s refit operations the acquisitions considerably enhance new-build construction potential. The leasehold property was optimised as a marine fabrication facility and formerly operated by BAE Systems for the construction of vessels for the New Zealand Navy. Energy Vessels Offshore Limited, in which Oceania Marine shareholders have a 50% interest, is expected to have a significant presence at the site constructing new vessels for the offshore energy industry in the near future.
Another exciting development will be the opening of the Marine Service Centre to be operated by Port Whangarei Limited (100% owned by Oceania Marine shareholders). This operation will utilise the extensive hardstand areas and operate haul and launch services to be installed at the leasehold site. The Marine Service Centre will cater for a distinctly different type of business to that currently undertaken by Oceania Marine.
Further details will be announced shortly.
