The new year is starting with the spectacular unloading of nine luxury yachts from pontoons onto flatbed trucks on 3. and 4. January
The year has hardly begun and boot Düsseldorf, the luxury yacht manufacturers and the transport & logistic companies are already demonstrating just how spectacular a trip to the biggest water sports trade fair in the world is. The boot “royals” are loaded onto a pontoon/barge in Rotterdam and travel to the North Rhine-Westphalian capital on the busiest waterway in the world – the Rhine. When they arrive in Düsseldorf, the majestic ocean yachts are transported to their temporary home at the trade fair – Hall 6 – on flatbed trucks. boot fans come to watch every year when the luxury yachts are unloaded. This year, the freight carried by the barges is even more valuable than in the previous years.
The first pontoon, which is being unloaded on 3. January, is bringing prestigious international cargo: one British, one Arabian and three Italian yachts. The British Princess 35M will be the undisputed star of boot 2018. For the first time in a long time, a yacht of this size will be on show in a trade fair hall. It is 115 feet 4 inches long, which corresponds to exactly 35.15 metres. The royal beauty will be the absolute heavyweight of the trade fair at 170 tonnes too. The starting price for the luxury yacht from the Princess shipyard based in Plymouth / England is about € 8 Million british pounds, while it goes without saying that there is no upper limit as everything depends on the luxurious equipment and furnishing that are chosen.
The Majesty 100 comes from the exclusive production line of the Gulf Craft shipyard in Dubai. It is the second-biggest and second-heaviest yacht at boot 2018 at 104 feet 4 inches (31.70 metres) and 123 tonnes. This majestic yacht is available for a price of 5 million dollars. The three other gems on board the pontoon are highly impressive in their own right too, however, combining Italian grace and elegance: the carbon yacht Azimut S7 (21 metres long, price: 2,3 million €), the Azimut 50 (16 metres long, price: 1 million €) and the Ferretti Pershing 70 (21 metres long, price: 3,8 million €) will all be finding their temporary home in Hall 6.
On 4. January, as many as four different Italian luxury yachts will be arriving at the trade fair jetty in Düsseldorf, where they will be given a personal welcome by Messe Düsseldorf CEO Werner Matthias Dornscheidt: the elegant Azimut 95 rph (28 metres long, price: 7,4 million €), the Ferretti F920 (also 28 metres long, price: 6,7 million €), the prizewinning Riva Perseo 76 (23 metres long, price: 4,5 million €) and the flybridge model Azimut 60 (18 metres long, price: 1,4 million €) are also being transported to the Düsseldorf exhibition site.
The highly respected British yacht transport company Seven Stars, which transports luxury yachts to the most beautiful water sports locations all over the world, is responsible for shipping the precious cargo to Düsseldorf too. boot Director Petros Michelidakis is delighted about the successful transport of the yachts to the most attractive indoor destination anywhere in the world – boot 2018: “When the yachts arrive and are unloaded, this is one of the most exciting moments I experience at boot. The barge and logistic experts have to work hand in hand perfectly here and I am impressed every time how very professionally these companies operate.” The trade fair logistics company Kühne und Nagel is responsible for transporting the yachts from the jetty to the halls.
For enthusiastic boot fans in Düsseldorf, the transport and unloading operations before the trade fair are events that must not be missed. Irrespective of whether the much-loved boat crane “Big Willi” is involved or the huge pontoons arrive somewhat further north at the trade fair company’s ramp, plenty of people are always keen to watch the boats as they arrive and are brought ashore. And they have in the meantime been coming for generations now …
Since so many yachts that are more than 100 feet long are arriving for the first time again this year and the unloading operations will be particularly impressive, Messe Düsseldorf has commissioned the long-established catering company Dauser to provide refreshments to the general public and the media.
