Mohamed Hussain al-Sha’ali, chairman of Gulf Craft (left) and Erwin Bamps, CEO of Majesty, inside the Majesty 105, currently being showcased at The Pearl-Qatar. PICTURE: Najeer Feroke
By Hamza Jilani/Staff Reporter
Luxury boat and yacht manufacturer Gulf Craft, home grown out of the UAE, launched its second exclusive display of yachts at The Pearl-Qatar marina yesterday.
Officially inaugurated by HE Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, the ‘Majesty Yachts Exclusive Preview’ will run until tomorrow where a ladies-only viewing will be held from 10am to 3pm.
“The Qatar market makes up for about 20% of our revenue and we have a very close and strong relationship with our clientele here. Not only do Qataris appreciate the finer things in life, they also have a culture intertwined with the sea and yachting – more so than most,” said Mohamed Hussain al-Sha’ali, chairman of Gulf Craft, a UAE-based company that owns the Majesty brand along with others.
“We’ve learned through our relationship with Qatar that it’s not only the men that take active interest in luxury yachting. That’s why we’ve made sure that there is a special ladies viewing in place in our showing.”
Luxury yacht and boat manufacturing is a multi-billion dollar business internationally, according to al-Sha’ali, and while Gulf Craft is just over 30 years old, it now takes a large share of the international market as top competition.
“I can now say that we are in the top ten manufacturers in the world of luxury yachts. We have only been around for 3 decades, but we’re competing with industry leaders that have been building boats and yachts for over 200 years,” al-Sha’ali said at a pre-opening press conference held in the ultra-luxurious triple decker Majesty 125.
Before the international financial crisis, Majesty was selling 500 boats and 50 yachts annually, but afterwards, those numbers fell to 300 and 35 respectively. It’s recovering, but not fully recovered, al-Sha’ali says. “Last year we can say the situation stabilised and this year it’s improving”.
However, according to Erwin Bamps, CEO of Majesty, while “numbers in sales decreased, the demand for higher specs went up”.
“We never make the same boat twice. Our clientele are always looking for something unique and we make sure they get it. They primarily look for space as their number one demand, but they also don’t want to hassle with anything else; that’s why we install the best of everything they could think of for our range; navigation, power generation, entertainment, accommodation, everything.” he says.
But what about the environmental aspect?
“Our lines are environmentally friendly and low emission, but the energy you need to operate these systems can’t be sourced from solar energy,” al-Sha’ali says of his vessels that have a fuel capacity of 4,000 gallons and able to travel 2,000 nautical miles without refuelling.
Majesty boat and yacht model lines range from 20 to 135 feet in length and sell anywhere between QR100,000 and QR80mn through 40 dealers around the world. Al-Sha’ali says that his boats are found in every marina in the world. Currently, Gulf Craft employs 2,000 staff and owns four factories that build every part of their boat and yachts.
“We are completely independent, no government support or other brands are involved in our operations. Everything from the steel railings to the furniture you are sitting on is made by us. This is a proud Arab brand. No government support or support from anywhere else whatsoever,” he says.
He adds that for the Middle East to diversify its economy and achieve sustainable development, industry is the way to go.
“Industry is the only way to build a strong economy in the Middle East. We’ve proven that you can build a successful industry and compete with the world out of the Middle East,” he assures. “We hope people see what we have achieved and follow our path.”
1. Majesty 125 berthed at The Pearl-Qatar marina.
