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A labour of love

Michael Horrigan, CEO of IGY, is charged with delivering most of Dubai's berths. The first are ready for weigh in.

Can we begin with a status report for IGY in the Gulf?
Sure, our commitment at present is very much to Dubai and our partner here Nakheel; with whom we have an agreement to supply 20,000 berths in Dubai in the next five to ten year period. It's taken time to get where we are now, but starting with Anchor Marina, you'll see a regular rolling out of projects at the rate of roughly one a year. The projects include Dubai Maritime City, Palms Deira and Jebel Ali and the Waterfront. Numbers will vary, but we should deliver in the region of 1,000 berths a per annum.

When do the Anchor and The Palm Megayacht Marinas open?

The Anchor Marina will open in December, the sale of berths has already started. We'll be berthing at the Megayacht Marina next year, and the exquisitely designed clubhouse will open in January 2010. The mega-yacht marina on Palm Jumeirah will be a landmark marina globally, surpassing any other - even those in the South of France. I also believe we will see some of the world's premier yachts home ported here in time.

What kind of waiting lists are currently on those berths?

At present all our projects with Nakheel are to create provision for property owners or residents on the various projects. For example, to lease a berth at Anchor Marina, you must own or reside in a property on the Palm Jumeirah; though if you own multiple villas or apartments, you can buy the equivalent number of berths. An online auction will start shortly for five year leases. The demand is high from both the industry and residents; but on the other developments, where we have been involved at an earlier stage, there will be a higher proportion of berths for the population.

So there'll not be an influx of berths on the open market?

Not at present. The marinas we're operating with Nakheel are part of the lifestyle provision for their customers or investors. As we reach the 10,000 berth mark then maybe there will be some margin between supply and demand - but it's not an issue we foresee in the near future.

How is the marina industry changing at the moment?

The changes are dramatic. It's transforming from a ‘Mom and Pop' organisation - somewhere to simply tie your boat up - to an industry that is expected to have security, amenities, services and facilities consummate with satisfying the demands of very high net worth individuals.

Take our concierge service and clubhouses for example, they are based on the standards of high class hotel groups. As owners arrive at our marinas, we'll have a kerbside valet service. The owner, passengers and provisioning will be transferred to their craft on an electric golf carts, enjoying refreshing cold towels and chilled water along the way.

Owners can order ‘room service' from the clubhouse, so meals and ice for example will be delivered to their berth. Everything will be geared to creating an enjoyable lifestyle experience for our customers. We will have 120 staff working at Anchor Marina to service 600 berths, one person for every five berths, and service will be 24/7. We'll also offer a piloting service for any owner who requires assistance entering or exiting the marina.

And this is available to all berth holders?

For sure. The mega-yacht owners will have their own facility with the opportunity to drive vehicles as big as Hummers right up to their craft - confidentiality and security often demands this. They'll also have a separate clubhouse, fuel on the berth, secure storage on the pier for items like artwork and damageable furnishings, and high level security. The Giga-yacht owners, 80m and above, will have a further level of security.

Are IGY planning dry stack or hard standing storage solutions?

There's a lot of demand for this, and we'll be doing it in a number of locations. This will suit those with seasonal homes here who don't want their craft sitting in the water. We will have drystack facilities at Palm Deira, Dubai Maritime City and Palm Jebel Ali. Of course the biggest will be at ‘The Gateway' project for The World.

What provision is being made for maintenance, servicing and the ‘more hands on' side of the marine industry?

Dubai Maritime City will host a lot of maintenance, repair, servicing and refit yards, but obviously it's not something the residential/resort developers are keen to have sitting in the middle of their projects. I foresee fringe areas like Sharjah and Ajman developing their provision in this area further as demand increases.

How active is IGY in developing regulations and licensing?

We don't have a direct involvement in the licensing issues, though we are consulted and support any positive action. Our engineers however, are aiding in the studies with regards to navigation laws and licensing for the waters within the various Palm projects and The World. Our help tends to be more supportive, consultative and spiritual than direct input.

What are IGY's environmental policies?

The environment is one of our highest priorities. We have the privelidge of building marinas in some of the most beautiful locations in the world, so it is on our interest to protect them. Before we embark on a project we do baseline and environmental studies before we participate in any project. We do a detailed survey of marine life, water quality, water distribution, etc. and simply will not accept any deterioration from this baseline. Our emergency response procedures, operating guidelines and staff training all target extremely high environmental standards.

Could you finish with a quick SWOT analysis for IGY?

Our strength lies in the fact we are doing something the industry has never done; offering highly serviced concierge berthing, not just a place to tie up. Weakness? Well I guess the level of growth we are experiencing would test any organisation. The test has been to adapt to our success. Opportunities are so numerous at the moment our biggest challenge is fending them off! We are only interested in working on projects that match our exacting standards. Finally, the only threat I could foresee would be an economic downturn, but there is no evidence for it so I'm not concerned.

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