October 27 - Due to its sheer size, the 686 ft (209 m) Yacht Express demands an audience, but when the flagship of Dockwise Yacht Transport's (DYT) fleet of semi-submersible ships pulled into Ft. Lauderdale with a record breaking cargo of yachts valued co
The signature gray and orange super ship claimed its berth at Port Everglades and began an hours-long ballasting process that allowed sea water to flood its dock bay and 19 state-of-the-art luxury yachts to safely motor out of the stren and on to new adventures.
The largest of the vessels was the 190 ft (57.91 m) super yacht Mi Sueno, which loaded on Yacht Express in Genoa, Italy on October 6. It had just returned from the Monaco Yacht Show and will be attending the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which starts today (Thursday, October 27).
"The reason that Mi Sueno is shipped must be credited to the yacht's owner who really knows how to look after his crew and boat," said Mi Sueno's Captain Glynn Smith. "The crew needs time off after such a busy charter season in the Med, and shipping with DYT gives us that option. The other consideration is the wear and tear on the yacht during the Atlantic crossing. The average crossing adds 400 to 500 hours on the engines and generators, not to mention unforeseen incidents that can occur in the middle of the ocean."
Several of the yachts on Yacht Express have shipped with DYT multiple times, including the 163 ft (49.70 m)Casino Royale, the 160 ft (48.78 m) Odessa (four times each), the 161 ft (49.09 m) Zoom Zoom Zoom (seven times), and the 132 ft (40.24 m) motor yacht Miss Rose.
The Yacht Express provides yacht owners with complimentary cabins for crew who accompany their yachts on the voyage. Among the ship's other amenities are an atrium with 180-degree views and lounge bar, a swimming pool, a restaurant, and conference, media and fitness facilities.
DYT has three more float-on/float-off voyages coming from the Mediterranean before year's end, including one aboard the DYT ship Super Servant 4, which will arrive in Ft. Lauderdale October 28 from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, fully loaded with 24 super yachts worth a collective USD190 million. Some of the yachts will offload in Port Everglades; then the ship will proceed to Newport, where it will once again fully load with 43 sailing and motor yachts bound for St. Thomas, USVI in time for the Caribbean sailing season.
Dockwise Yacht Transport (DYT), headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, specialises in the maritime transport of private luxury yachts and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dockwise Ltd., a Bermuda incorporated company that is a leading marine contractor providing total transport services to the offshore, onshore and yachting industries as well as installation services of extremely heavy offshore platforms.
