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Michael Hackman on a New Phase of Success for WIDER Yachts
The acquisition of WIDER in April brings a new edge to the yard's approach to yachting; but who are Genting Hong Kong? We speak to Michael Hackman, the Executive Vice President of Marine Operations at Genting Hong Kong and Interim Chairman of WIDER, to gain an exclusive insight of their vision for the future.
A History of Expertise
Genting Hong Kong Ltd's acquisition of WIDER in April, through its subsidiary Exa Limited, complemented its existing portfolio of yachting assets that includes investments in Grand Banks Yachts, Palm Beach Yachts, the Bremerhaven based megayacht yard Lloyd Werft. Genting HK is listed on the Hong Kong and Singapore stock exchanges and is primarily known in the international cruise industry as owners of Star Cruises, Dream Cruises and Crystal Cruises.
"Our cruising experience and innovation is quite massive; it allows us to leverage our expertise in the yachting field” comments Michael Hackman. “We currently have new cruise ships under construction in Germany, most within yards we have recently acquired, the biggest is over 200,000GT. “
New Deliveries and Designs
Michael sheds light on past and future projects; "The multi award winning WIDER 150 was sold at the end of last year. The new owner has been on board for the last 3 weeks and is thoroughly enjoying his new boat. The WIDER165 will be launched in Q1 2018, in time for summer delivery. We have had quite significant interest and are confident of selling her in the near future. Looking ahead, we are finalising the engineering for the new WIDER 130… we are very excited with this new project"
WIDER will continue to innovative, it is part of their DNA. "It’s a fast paced business" confesses Michael Hackman, “We embrace modern technology. Most of the industry is extremely traditional, they are building boats the same way they have done for the last 100 years… the advances we have seen in our 20 years in the cruise line business are incredible. Technology is part of our daily lives. We are confident that there is a breed of young owners looking for something new."
Michael has no reservations at the sheer potential of WIDER's team of professionals. "We're looking at new designs, new possibilities and expanding our range of products. The team are motivated and the place is buzzing.” Michael continued: “Our intention is to grow the business through continued use of exciting design and technology which benefits the owner and makes for a more enjoyable experience on board. We have set the bar high with the 150, winning 7 prestigious international awards, but are confident there will be many more in the future." With that being said, it seems Wider is on a continued road to success.
""We're looking at new designs, new possibilities and expanding our range of products. The team are motivated and the place is buzzing with the prospect of what we can do.”"
""We're looking at new designs, new possibilities and expanding our range of products. The team are motivated and the place is buzzing with the prospect of what we can do.”"
Michael Hackman - Executive Vice President of Marine Operations, Genting Hong Kong as well as Interim Chairman of Wider.