Moving experience

Yacht transport requires delicate handling. Mike Hüsemann of Yacht Trans Line guides us through.

Is your background in the marine industry or freight transportation?

I am a captain by trade and six years ago, whilst working in Spain, I was offered the opportunity to come to Dubai. The job was on a 30 meter catamaran and apart from occasionally taking trips between the bridges on the Creek the boat was never used. After three months I left suggesting the owner employed a bus driver rather than a captain.

As I considered a future in brokerage I received a call asking if I could organise the shipping of a boat. After some research I realised that freight companies in the area had no expertise in what is a highly specialist field, and so I started YTL. With very little money to invest, a phone, a laptop and a lot of hard work,Yacht Trans Line was born.

In that first year of business I shipped only that one boat. In 2007, our fourth year, we shipped over a hundred boats and the business enjoyed an eight figure turn-over. We currently have a workshop and warehouse in Jebel Ali, offices in Ajman and an office in Palma de Majorca.

This month alone we are shipping craft to five continents: the USA, Europe, Australia, Singapore and Venezuela. It's been a big lifestyle change from being a laid back ‘yachtie' to an entrepreneur working 80+ hours a week!

What size of boats do you ship?

We've moved boats from 21ft and weighing two tonne, up to 160ft superyachts weighing 275 tonne. Generally we start at 30ft for shipping. We can also move boats by road transport around the Gulf region if that is required.

Where is the cut off in size for a craft to be shipped or crewed?

It's a question of distance rather than size, especially in motor yachts which make up the majority of our business. Sailing a motor cruiser from the Med to Dubai would involve significant complications and risk. Refuelling is obviously an issue and passing close to countries like Somalia obviously involves a certain amount of risk. The hours you'd put on an engine are astronomical and the boat would probably suffer damage in rough conditions.

Having mechanical problems off the deserted coastline of Egypt, Saudi, Yemen or Eritrea could be disastrous We've received a number of enquiries from individuals who have chosen not to use our services, believing it cheaper to deliver the boat themselves.

We've had ten instances where they have then called up asking for assistance. If the boat is not near a suitable port where we can load them they are in desperate trouble.

Does cost deter many people?

At Yacht Trans Line we sell a service not a price. We offer a door-to-door service and once the owner hands over the keys they can relax and know their craft will be looked after. Shipping a yacht however is not like shipping a container.

We have our own customs broker who takes care of the paperwork and to be honest it would be extremely difficult for an individual to navigate their way through that alone - let alone the physical aspect of lifting and securing a boat for a sea passage. All we need from the owner is the keys, the consignment details and the invoice; we take care of the rest. The process however is not cheap.

What people also tend not to realise is, there is a shortage of ships in the world at present. When demand outstrips supply then prices obviously increase.

This is even more acute in the Gulf with the building of Dubai, major construction in other Gulf states and the rebuilding of Iraq. The space available on ships fills up quickly and if the customer delays or tries to negotiate for too long they can literally ‘miss the boat'.

The market moves so quickly our quotes on price are only valid for 30 days. If you are having a boat built now you can't expect the shipping price to be the same in six months when the craft is ready to be shipped.

How difficult is securing shipping at present?

We work with more than 50 different shipping lines and have built up good working relationships with them. However, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration. Not only do we have to find ships that are moving at the right time, to and from the right places, they must also be suitable for and have space available to carry the boat. That is both in terms of length, width, height and weight.

Freight is also three dimensional so there is the height to take into account. For this reason the majority of shipping lines will not carry rigged sailing craft. To ship a sailboat you must usually unstep the mast and this should be budgeted for.