Despite the Ukraine war and corona effects: The yacht and project logistics company Peters & May has a positive outlook on the year to date and is expanding its team.
Although the market has been “challenged” by the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Peters & May, headquartered in the UK, has now reported growth. So far this year, almost 1,500 yacht transports have been handled. There are also inquiries from customers, private individuals and charter companies for transports in 2023, it continues.
CEO Simon Judson said: “I am very pleased with the latest developments.” Peters & May’s business includes the shipping of privately owned boats, yacht racing logistics and freight forwarding. One initial focus was on transporting boats on behalf of manufacturers, private owners and racing teams in Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and on transatlantic routes. In 2020, the company launched its own MPP line with the shipping company Oslo Bulk. It now also offers regular departures to Asia.
Yacht transport is an important and high-revenue segment for MPP and heavy-lift carriers, some of which have dedicated departments just for this business. Among others, the shipping companies BBC Chartering and Ems-Fehn from Leer or AAL Shipping, Spliethoff and Wagenborg are among the active players in this sector.
In response to the continued high volume of orders, Peters & May has expanded its UK sales team with the appointment of Cassandre Avery. Avery began her career at Peters & May in 2017 in the charter and operations department. “With many years of experience and knowledge in pricing and charter transportation, her role has expanded to support and strengthen the existing sales team,” the logistics company said.
It has had an “exceptional year” so far, with the highlight being the transportation of Red Bull Alinghi Racing’s new boat and associated equipment to Spain in preparation for the next America’s Cup. In addition, there were further transports for the TP52 Super Series.
According to the information provided, one reason for the positive development was the easing of coronavirus restrictions. Shipments increased by 40% in the first half of the year. “However, the impact of the pandemic on national economies is still being felt, the global price increase, largely caused by the conflict in Ukraine, was an obstacle and there were restrictions on the availability of ships for the transportation of Peters & May goods,” the logistics specialist concludes.
However, with further changes to the UK customs landscape planned over the course of the year, the in-house “customs team” remains well placed to support the UK shipping supply chain in trade with the EU.
Anniversary coming up
A “milestone” is to be reached next year: 2023 will mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of Peters & May. “We are incredibly proud of our heritage and how we have grown and developed over the years to become what we are today,” says Judson.
Another highlight during the year was a request from Golden Cargo to transport three lightweight aluminum ferries from their builder, Brodrene AA in Hyen, Norway, to their new operator, Hellenic Seaways in Piraeus, Greece.
Paul Elsom, Global Technical Director, said: “Rather than carry out this transport with multiple trips, we decided to use the heavy lift vessel ‘Rolldock Sky’, where one of the ferries would be stowed below deck and the other two above deck. It would take a bit of calculation to get all three ferries on board safely, especially as they all had to be lifted in tandem maneuvers.”
With the boat show season now beginning, Peters & May intends to consolidate its profile as a specialist in yacht transportation and take part in events in Cannes, Southampton, Genoa, La Rochelle, Monaco, Annapolis, Fort Lauderdale, Abu Dhabi and Paris.
However, despite a successful first half of the year, the company intends to remain “conservative in its estimates for future business”, as the global economy is currently under pressure.
