There are not many places in the world where a 40-meter yacht does not stand out. But Port Hercules marina in Monaco is one. The 43-meter El Sea can be seen there alongside the 37-meter Izumi. Not far from

those two is the Icon – all 62 meters of her. It’s showtime in Monaco. Every year in September,

the harbor is the backdrop to an exhibition of superlatives: the Monaco Yacht Show.

Meeting of the mega-yachts

Monaco Yacht Show

From 21st to 24th September 2011, Monaco harbor was the meeting place for the megayacht scene. Shipbuilders, architects, designers, consultants and suppliers all came to show off what they could offer the world of the rich and beautiful.

Mar

ine

22  I  MTU Report 03/11  MTU Report 03/11  I  23

24  I  MTU Report 03/11

The number of shoes left at the gangway tells you how popular a yacht is.

“I love my MTU engine,” announces yacht owner Frans Heesen (right, seen with Wouter Hoek of MTU Benelux, left).

1 The My Petra built by the Heesen shipyard in Hol-land is 44 meters long. That is roughly the average at the Monaco show. The longest yacht was 86.5 me-ters, the shortest 26.

2 Gleaming white with chrome cylinder head covers: yacht owners place great importance on the appear-ance of their engines.

2

How can you tell how popular a yacht is? By the number of decks? The length? The color? No, by how many pairs of shoes there are in the baskets by the gangway onto the yacht. That is because you don’t board a yacht in your out-door shoes; the furnishings are far too precious for that. You walk over the shining marble floors and deep-pile car-pets in your bare feet. And in the world of yachting super-latives things are altogether different from how you might think. The carpets running from one yacht to another are not red but blue – azure blue like the color of the water in the harbor. And along with sunglasses and iPhones, the most ubiquitous objects at the show appear to be polish-ing cloths. Everywhere you look someone is buffing and polishing; everything gleams and sparkles – including, of course, the MTU engine in the yacht My Petra. It is white with glittering chrome cylinder head covers.“I love my MTU engine,” announces its owner, Frans Heesen. Until recently, he owned the Heesen shipyards in the Netherlands but has now sold the business but remains its Chairman of Super-visory Board. He wants to sell the My Petra too and have another yacht built instead. In contrast with the My Petra, which is an all alu minium semi-displacement motor yacht, the new craft is to be  tailored specifically for his family which is becoming more numerous: the Heesens now have seven grandchildren and need a more voluminous yacht, that’s why they chose a full displacement motor yacht.Though one feature will be the same: the new yacht will be driven by twin MTU Series 4000 engines as well. And just like her predecessor, she will be named after Mr. Heesen’s wife. She is to be called Lady Petra and presented as a gift on Petra Heesen’s birthday on 25th April. 

Discretion the watchwordThe candor with which Frans Heesen speaks about his yacht is by no means the norm in the luxury yachts busi-ness. Discretion is the watchword. Admittance to the boats is by personal invitation only. Serious prospective buyers arrive incognito and closely shielded. Especially in these times of crisis and austerity measures, the yacht owners don’t want to be ostentatious with their wealth. Because there is probably very little in the world that compares with a megayacht for its combination of enormous expense and blatant luxury. Although the details of the prices are pro-tected by that well-observed discretion. At one time there was a general rule of thumb that every meter of a luxury yacht cost a million euro, but that is long since surpassed. Apparently the width, or beam, is important too, because it affects the amount of interior refinements that can be fit-ted in the yacht. So we are informed by Matthias Kundert, chief engineer on the My Petra. He is standing in the en-gine room of the yacht polishing the engine’s cylinder head covers. Everything has to be sparkling when potential buy-ers look round. “The engine is brilliant – 2,720 kilowatts of concentrated power. I have never had any problems with it,” he recounts in praise of his gleaming white charge. The question as to why it has to be polished, however, is some-

1Marine

MA

P

Monaco

Mediterranean

FranceItaly

MTU Brown0-17-28-62CMYK

MTU Brown80% der FarbeCMYK

60%CMYK

40%CMYK

20%CMYK

60%CMYK

40%CMYK

20%CMYK

MTU Blue50-25-0-10CMYK

MTU Blue80% der FarbeCMYK

thing he hasn’t quite got an answer for. It was just how things should be done. 

Trade only, no touristsJust as much the way things should be for Frans Heesen is to come to Monaco every year. He was at the very first Monaco Yacht Show 22 years ago and hasn’t missed one since. He recounts with a smile how once he missed appearing at the comparably large yacht show in Fort  Lauderdale, USA. “People though I must be on my death-bed,” he says, drawing on his cigar with gus-to. Someone else for whom Monaco is the show highlight of the year is Francesco Ansole from shipbuilders Azimut. 

“Everyone who is anyone in the industry meets here,” says the Italian. He uses the show to find out what buyers like. Another important feature for him is that there are virtually no sightseers at the event, just people in the trade. And no wonder – the ticket price of 65 euro puts people off, even though half of the takings from ticket sales are donated to the Monaco charity in aid of the muscular disease myopathy. 

But you do get quite a lot for your money. For several days, the stars of the Principality are not Albert or Charlene but have names like Shooting Star, Triple Seven or Dou ble Shot. They all stand gleaming white in the water, their decks fes-tooned with flowers and the sofas invite you to sit and stay a while. But which one to buy? It’s a difficult decision. Of course, all the yachts on show are bespoke creations to suit the wishes of their owners. But the differences are not at all obvious. Standard features are a  jacuzzi on the deck, massage chair, sauna, helipad and cocktail bar. There is hardly anything really brash or exaggeratedly lavish. Be-cause the owners rarely keep their yachts for long periods. They often sell them again after one or two years, so an over-the-top pink bathroom could put off potential buyers. 

The unsung stars of the showThere is one thing many yacht owners agree on,  however. They trust MTU engines. These unsung stars can be found hidden away in the engine rooms of many yachts at the show. The biggest seller is the 16-cylinder version of the Series 4000. It propels the Double Shot, for  example, to a top speed of 32 knots. The five-man crew of the  Mangusta T130 keep a careful eye on it even during the show. And the two largest yachts on show in  Monaco, the Seven Seas and the Cakewalk, are powered by the same engine. Both craft attract visitors like magnets. The 85- meter Cakewalk boasts an impressive four sundecks, one on each level. The handrails are wooden and give the ship a homely feel. The Seven Seas is just one meter longer but quite different in other ways. With dark-tinted windows and angular lines, she looks more like a spacecraft on the sea. The rumor quickly spreads that the Seven Seas belongs to the famous film director,  Steven  Spielberg. Apparently you can charter her for a  million euro a week. So what are we waiting for? 

Swimming pools, jacuzzis, sundecks and cocktail bars are standard features of luxury yachts.

Marine

26  I  MTU Report 03/11   MTU Report 03/11  I  27

28  I  MTU Report 03/11 MTU Report 03/11  I  29

Floating billionaires’ dreams on the Côte d’Azur: there were over 100 yachts to be marveled at in Monaco harbor. But to get on board you needed a personal invitation.

1 Well frequented: not only the yachts drew a constant stream of visitors. The MTU stand was popular too. Among the exhibits was a model of the Series 4000 engine.

2 Biggest attraction: the Seven Seas was a magnet for visitors to Monaco. Undiluted luxury over every inch of her 86.5-meter length, 8,000 square meters of floor space and five deck levels.

3 The 85.6-meter Cakewalk is the biggest yacht ever built in America. 4 Attention-grabber: the Meteor is a sailing yacht whose classic

design stood out. A real head-turner among all the modern luxury yachts.

Admiring the yacht at least once from the outside is a must for every visitor to the show, “Have you seen the Seven Seas yet?” is a question frequently heard. And it is asked not only in French, but in English, Russian, Dutch and  German too. This show is international. Though one group conspicuous by their absence are Asian buyers. Do they not have yachts? “The market there is only just getting  established; it will take some time before it reaches a  level similar to that in Europe and the USA,” explains Daniel Ramoli of MTU’s Yacht Sales Department. Of course, there was an increasing number of rich people in Asia, especial-ly in India and China, who could afford yachts. But as yet, the lifestyle and the associated infrastructure was missing. In the luxury yacht scene that means five-star restaurants and cafes, hidden bays with crystal-clear water,  expensive luxury shops and palm-lined beaches – a deficiency in Asia at present but one that could be put right. Something many in the business are certain of is that there will soon be a lot more Asian yacht-builders and owners. 

Interest in after-salesThe yacht sector is expanding, and it needs to. It has still not recovered from the downturn it suffered in the eco-nomic crisis of 2008. “It is improving slowly, but the Euro-pean shipyards in particular are facing a difficult coming year because of the debt crisis and financing problems,” Daniel Ramoli outlines. There is no sign of that at the show. The narrow gangplanks are crowded – 30,000 visitors came to the event over four days. The MTU stand – easily identifiable from a distance by its two flags – was always well frequented. As well as in the engines themselves, visitors were especially interested in the MTU Value Care products such as maintenance contracts and extended warranties. “They give owners and captains the certainty that their engines will always be in working order,” explains Stephan Knorr of MTU Marine Sales. “Which is why so many captains and chief engineers come here to find out about them,” he concludes. A cozy lounge area invited visitors to stay a while. The view of the harbor was magnificent. Almost like being on a yacht. Except that visitors were not required to take their shoes off. 

Words: Lucie DammannPictures: Robert Hack

To find out more, contact:Daniel Ramolidaniel.ramoli@mtu-online.comTel. +49 7541 90-7017         

1

2

3

4

Marine

More on this…Slide show of images with impressions of the showHow it works – see page 3 or log onto http://bit.ly/qCkkfJ

ON

LIN

E