A number of leading associations have joined forces to support the yachting industry across a wide range of areas following the signing of a new comprehensive agreement in Marseille, France.

Navigo, Riviera Yachting Network and Balearic Marine Cluster together signed a memorandum of understanding for the creation of Yachting West Med with the aim of promoting the Mediterranean area as an ideal yachting destination. The agreement, which was announced by Navigo, was signed during the Euromaritime trade fair held in Marseille, and sees three entities joining forces to work on common themes from regulation to events, training and more.

The PYA took part in discussions around the framework of the new agreement, considering the interests of yacht crew in the region, having held a number of talks at trade conventions in the past year.

“This agreement is a positive step forward for our industry and brings together key stakeholders from across the Mediterranean region to forge new partnerships and development opportunities for all involved,” said Sophie Rodrigues, Office Finances & Events Manager.

The Western Mediterranean," a spokesperson for Navigo recalls, "is the world's leading area for sailing and yacht refitting, where 50% of the world's fleet of yachts transit, and are refitted and maintained here. Italy, France and Spain, in more or less equal proportions from one country to the other, hold the international lead in this respect; Italy is also the base for new-build shipyards - with 6 of the 20 largest in the world.”

Areas of focus will include training to establish development paths and professional courses suitable for combining the knowledge of disciplines across the industry, enriching crews with a combined multicultural experience. The forming of the new agreement will also enable the collective promotion of the West Med as a leading yachting destination and allows all participants to jointly work on events, innovations and networking.

"The close and formalised alliance already sees 400 companies in the network, which will have the opportunity to strengthen their transnational network and generate important and profitable connections. This agreement between the three most important regions in the world for the production and refit of yachts, in terms of number and type of companies represented, will provide increasingly precise data on the sector of activity, B2B exchanges useful for the development of the companies, and a place for proposals and the comparison of innovations and ideas," said Katia Balducci, President of Navigo.

With the continued growth of the yachting industry in the Mediterranean, the implementation of long-term strategic collaboration will help cross-industry projects and development. This has been a particularly important focus in recent years with the shift towards renewable energy and new technologies that will emerge as the next generation of yachting vessels enter service.

"Being stronger together is the core philosophy of each of our clusters; it is the same philosophy that drives our cross-cluster agreement," added Laurent Falaize, President of Riviera Yachting Network, "in fact, although we are competitors, we can share common ambitions for attractiveness and sustainable development.

"As leading clusters in our respective regions, we have identified common challenges that will weigh not only on our companies but on all sectors. In the next 10 years, companies will be confronted with major challenges such as ecological transition, big data management and transgenerational transition," explained Antonio Salom, President of the Balearic Marine Cluster.

Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, the associations will begin to work on new projects in the coming months and years ahead that will drive forward investment and improvements across the industry.