Full-service care by Asia Pacific Superyachts for visiting yachts in Port Blair, India
Provisioning when dealing with superyachts goes beyond food & beverage, it’s often comprised of many factors and unknowns. Provisioning needs were a challenge in the past for vessels visiting the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, located more than 700 miles east of mainland India and more than 400 miles northwest of Phuket, lying in the Bay of Bengal between India to the West and Myanmar to the North & East.
Now Captains are appreciative of having one source for full provisioning coverage and other needs, such as flowers, beautiful table arrangements through theme decoration, local delicacies and speciality items and entertainment onboard, along with all the ingredients needed for daily crew and guest needs.
Provisioning supplies recently to an 80-metre superyacht cruising the Andaman Islands, R. Rathnam of Asia Pacific Superyachts (APS) explains his team makes sure all the needs of the Chef, the Captain and all involved are met with the best quality and care in provisioning.
“Sourcing and supplying provisions was a problem in the past for superyachts visiting the Andamans”, Rathnam notes: “It became critical to listen to the yachts, to their concerns and especially when not happy with the past quality. Thus in 2013 and as a part of our yacht agency program, we introduced provisioning in the Andaman Islands, bringing the client’s orders right to their yacht in Port Blair, India. We knew our superyacht clients wanted reliable and safety-conscious procedures set forth with full transparency for their provisioning needs and we were determined to provide this service”.
As the new program was initiated, Rathnam noted, “It made our clients’ yachting experience with us more enjoyable and much easier. Initially, we supplied a small quantity as samples – then supplying the full quantity as requested by the superyacht after testing samples”, Rathnam noted when the new provisioning program started, “We were able to source 80% of the items of the requested provisions and the chef was very happy with the quality!” For the first time yachts visiting the Andaman Islands could arrange for provisioning service before and during their journey cruising these stunning islands, a service designed specifically for APS clients.
“We know our client’s time is precious and it should not be wasted on anything else but the enjoyment of cruising through the magnificent archipelago. It has been exciting to see our provisioning facility and purchasing arrangements, whereby our clients can select from a huge inventory of fresh and sought after provisions with delivery right to their yacht in Port Blair, has been a big success. Most of the provisions ordered are brought from mainland India by flight to be delivered onboard and our clients can easily order those delicacies and hard-to-find food items which will enhance their journey”, added Rathnam. “Not only are the prices and quality of food products offered in the same range as those offered in many cities worldwide, but there is also no need for yachts to provision outside of the Andaman Islands”,
Upon arriving the yacht owner and guests can enjoy an extensive range of activities right in Port Blair as the APS team handles the permit and paperwork required as provisioning needs are finalized. A professional yacht handling and facilitation agency, a letter of 30 January from the Captain of the 80-metre motor yacht endorses the excellent care from APS Andamans.
“We would like to thank Asia Pacific Superyachts and R. Rathnam for all his efforts and services during our stay. He handled all our legal and official logistics, as well as all our onboard requests – with professionalism, reliability and care. I would highly recommend Rathnam and his team, anytime a superyacht should visit this very remote part of the world.”
In addition to excellent provisioning, arrangements can be made for shore services around the clock 24/7 which include: taking care of docking; transfers to various tourist spots; accommodations; laundry service; fuel supply and other allied services. APS Andaman Islands has a remarkable selection of high-end options for accommodation and transportation; an in-house vehicle fleet management division that operates a variety of vehicles ranging from brand new executive sedans to multipurpose utility vehicles to a chartered luxury bus for larger groups. Superyacht Captains can plan their voyages knowing all their needs will be met.