“The Southeast Asia Yachting Conference 2025 (SEAYC 2025) was a resounding success with over 200 delegates at the 8 & 9 April, 2025 two-day programme”, writes Suzy Rayment, executive director of Asia-Pacific Superyacht Association, in an article in Sail-World. APSA was a Supporting Partner of both the Conference and the immediately following Singapore Yachting Festival, organised by ONE°15 Events and hosted at ONE°15 Marina, Sentosa Cove, Singapore.
The first day saw keynote panel addresses by Marco Valle, CEO of Azimut|Benetti Group, and Arthur Tay, Chairman of SUTL and ONE°15 Marina, led by yachting expert Wicky Sundram, MC for the two-day programme. Cissy Chan from Airport Authority Hong Kong unveiled the SKYTOPIA project — followed by a panel discussion on Masterplanning: Future Asian Coastal Marina Developments, moderated by Jonathan Sit of SUTL Enterprises, where marina development experts Ruurd van Putten (Marinetek), Suzanne Davies (MIA) and Cissy Chan discussed the upcoming waterfront projects across Asia. The focus then shifted to charter and tourism and Mike Sager (Ankor Software) explored Southeast Asia’s rise as a premier yacht chartering destination, along with Gordon Fernandes (Asia Pacific Superyachts) from Thailand, Vu Tran (Tam Son Yachting) from Vietnam, and Maria Widhysari (Asia Global Yachting) from Indonesia.
“It was great to be in Singapore for the Superyacht Conference and the Yachting Festival. The Conference was sold out and there was over 250 attendees both from the region and around the world giving us all valuable updates on the Superyacht industry and technology for the future. We learnt that there is already a diesel fuel which is available and can generate 0 carbon emissions, it’s made from waste products, currently the cost is high but the manufacturers hope to bring the cost down in the future”, enthused Conference Speaker, Fernandes, adding: “There were many new and used yachts on show at the Singapore Yachting Festival and one of the biggest is the privately owned Charley 2. The Captain gave us a private tour of this brand new yacht. As it’s a catamaran, the space on board is unrivaled by any yacht with the same length. Due to this space other yachts can’t help but be envious of the number of toys this yacht has on board”, shared Fernandes, co-founder of Asia Pacific Superyachts.
The afternoon session began with Joe Lynch (ICOMIA) presenting ‘Propelling Our Future’, addressing global initiatives and future developments in the yachting industry, followed by a panel discussion with Harvey Brewin (Simpson Marine), Artur Poloczanski (Sunreef), and Daniel He (Momentum Electric Marine) who examined the latest advancements in marine propulsion systems, design innovations, and digital solutions. Sustainability then took centre stage with Ee Pin Lee from Neste talking about the latest advancements in renewables and biofuels, and the day concluded with Marco Vale and Joe Lynch looking at ‘Where to Next’?
Day 2 had a superyacht focus, with the panel session by Steven Hawkins (J.P. Morgan Private Bank) touching on Asia Superyacht Explorers: Navigating Owner Requests and Expectations, with Peter Mahony, General Manager APAC Benetti Yachts, and Chris Blackwell from Echo Yachts discussing the evolving demands of superyacht owners operating in Southeast Asia. Mohammed Hussein Alshaali (Gulf Craft) and Mike Derrett (IBI News) discussed lessons learnt from yachting development in the Middle East.
This session was followed by a panel discussion led by Suzy Rayment (Asia-Pacific Superyacht Association) on strengthening regional connectivity and collaboration, along with superyacht specialists, Scott Walker (Asia Pacific Superyacht), YH Fang (Yachting Singapore), and Joe Yuen (Lodestone Yachts) who explored key factors driving yacht movements in the region.
The final session centred on infrastructure development, beginning with Ready the Yards: Infrastructure Opportunities and Warranty Constraints, featuring industry experts Paolo Tazzini (Yachtalia), Robert ‘Doc’ Taylor (Clearvac Engineering Asia), Tomasz Mielczarek (Boat Lagoon Yachting), and Kent Tan (Go Ocean) who discussed the challenges and opportunities in developing yacht maintenance facilities across the region.
Following the Conference the Singapore Yachting Festival 2025 took place from 10 – 13 April 2025 at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove. Asia’s marine industry represented at the Singapore Yachting Festival reinforced the exciting growth of the yachting industry, providing an event platform for world-leading yacht builders, water-sport toys, and lifestyle brands to showcase their products for the ever-increasing appetite of the Singapore and Asia audience.
Asia Pacific Superyachts (APS) was well represented at both the Singapore Yachting Conference and Singapore Yachting Festival as panelists and in attending the Festival, which included Asia-Pacific Superyacht Association (APSA) Premium Members Gordon Fernandes & Tanyuta (Jojo) Singhmanee from APS Phuket, Captain Scott Walker from APS Singapore & Malaysia and Captain Thomas Taatjes from APS Indonesia.
Captain Thomas in summing up the yachting festival said, “It was a pleasure to be present at the Singapore Yachting Festival, where I had the opportunity to observe the prevailing trends and engage in networking within the Southeast Asian region. The prevailing trend is overwhelmingly positive, with an increase in yacht sales and the expansion of marine facilities throughout the region. It is also encouraging to witness the growing interest in Indonesia, both from a yachting perspective (including the development of local Phinisi-built yachts and charter services) and from the expansion of marina development throughout the country. Singapore serves as a stable and sophisticated gateway to Indonesia and plays a crucial role in our network.”