Superyacht-mover merger – Sevenstar Yacht Transport buys Dockwise Yacht Transport

Sevenstar Yacht Transport of the The Netherlands has bought Dockwise Yacht Transport, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Both companies specialise in the transport of superyachts, with Sevenstar utilising a 'lift-on, lift-off' technique and Dockwise Yacht Transport (DYT) using 'float-on, float-off' service. In the latter, the transport vessels are semi submerged, allowing yachts of any size to be able to float on and off. Sevenstar's acquisition of DYT included two of these semi-submersible vessels including the Super Servant 4 and Yacht Express. Sevenstar also plans to retain DYT's employee's, from its transport ship crew to office staff based in Fort Lauderdale.

Sevenstar sees DYT as a 'valuable addition' to its current fleet. The two companies had each focused on a different market segments, and Sevenstar sees this continuing, citing the example that superyachts can be best-served by the 'float-on, float-off' loading techniques of the newly-acquired DYT semi-submersible yachts while in the case of multiple port calls, which require yachts to be picked up or dropped off, 'the lift-on, lift-off' service that Sevenstar specialises in is preferable. Partnering the offerings of DYT and Sevenstar, one company now offers both.

'We are happy to have DYT on board and to benefit from its qualified staff and high-end yacht transport expertise to meet our clients’ needs,' says Richard Klabbers, managing director of Sevenstar Yacht Transport. 'DYT is one of the finest and most respected companies in the yacht transportation market and we strongly believe that working together will create many opportunities for both of us and will further secure the future of float-in yacht transportation.'