New Superyacht Service Hub in Montenegro

The consortium of superyacht marina development and operating Group Adriatic Marinas (ADM) and Damen Shipbuilding Group agreed that Damen’s role in the redevelopment of the former Bijela Shipyard in Boka Bay should be taken up by a new consortium member, Drydocks World.

Drydocks World, a DP World company, is a leading provider of yacht service, maintenance, repair and refit as well as marine and offshore services to the shipping, oil, gas and energy sectors. Joining the Consortium, Drydocks World will bring considerable experience, capabilities and resource as it looks to create a world-class superyacht hub in Boka Bay, driving major development for Montenegro.

The Chairman of Adriatic Marinas, His Excellency Mohammed I. Al Shaibani, said: “This exciting project will not only regenerate the shipyard at Bijela but the whole marine engineering industry, and bring back to life the long and proud maritime history of Montenegro. We are delighted that our colleagues and partners at Drydocks World will bring their substantial resources and expertise to the project. Together we will reposition Bijela to become one of the Mediterranean’s leading superyacht repair and refit facilities.”

The transformation of the shipyard by the Consortium will be completed over a 36-month period and will see it evolve into a superyacht repair and refit facility with plans to start some service work during this re-development period. Bijela is the historic homeland of marine engineering in Montenegro, and with this redevelopment the region aspires to once again bring the country’s renowned sector skills to the Mediterranean marine market.

The Consortium will also set up a skills academy at Bijela which will develop future generations of Montenegrin marine engineers. The skills academy will partner with the already established Superyacht Operations Training Academy at Porto Montenegro, which has been created in partnership with UK-based Warsash Maritime Academy, a world leader in maritime training.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, is confident that the Consortium will help to raise the stature of Montenegro. “By forging a consortium of this nature between Adriatic Marinas and Drydocks World,” he said, “we are bringing together the considerable combined resources and expertise to develop a world-class facility in Montenegro which will support the economy of the country.

“This partnership will ensure the Bijela Shipyard can be rapidly regenerated. I am proud that Drydocks World, which has continuously and consistently delivered prestigious global projects, will be front and centre in this strategic development for Montenegro.”

The exquisite marina and village at Porto Montenegro has seen huge investment over recent years as Montenegro has become a leading homeport for superyachts in the East Mediterranean. The addition of world-class shipyard facilities will ensure that Montenegro has all the infrastructure in place for superyachts to stay comfortably in Boka Bay all year round.