Taiwan rated 5th in mega yacht building in world

This article was published by the Macroview Weekly on January 2, 2008. it reports that according to the Industrial Development Bureau under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Taiwan's yacht builders received orders for 71 mega-yachts with a total length of 6,867 feet (2,093 meters). This makes Taiwan the world's 5th-largest mega yacht supplier.

Moreover, the aforementioned total length marks a 50 percent jump from 2006 and translates into a global market share of 6 percent, behind only Italy's 43.6 percent, the United States' 11.7 percent, the Netherlands' 9.2 percent and Germany's 8 percent.

While only one Taiwan yacht builder was included on the list of the world's top 20 yacht builders for 2007, three have been included on the 2008 list -- Horizon (12th), Ocean Alexander (16th) and Khashing (17th).

According to MOEA officials, the total length of the mega-yachts ordered worldwide have increased from 81,844 feet for 2006 to 113,520 feet for 2008, with the growth rate registering 7.9 percent for 2006, 15.3 percent for 2007 and 20.2 percent for 2008. Meanwhile, the total number of mega-yachts ordered worldwide has risen from 688 units for 2008 to 916 units for 2008, with the growth rate standing at 6 percent for 2006, 12.9 percent for 2007 and 17.9 percent for 2008.