b'JULY 24 - AUGUST 20, 2023BREAKBULK QUARTERLY 15(SPECIALIZEDcontin- or other company before. But ued from page 10) we try to build value instead Additional key trade lanesofnegativesaletacticsas aretheUSAandMedtosomeothercompaniesare Asia/HongKong/Indonesia/ using when booking yachts.SingaporewithsomegreatAJOT: I understand that cruising grounds there in theyouuseacombinationof winter and also coming backlinercontainerships,ro/ro, from Asia to USA and Medandspecializedandbreak-in the summer. I love cruis- bulkcarrierstotransport ingopportunitiesin Asiaastheyachts.Whatgoesinto theIndonesianarchipelagothe decision making to deter-provides truly pristine waters,mine which type of vessel is more remote areas for thosedeployed?fortunateenoughtoownDmitryFaber:Mainly biggeryachtsandtrawlersclientstimetableandroute. withlongrangeofnaviga- In key routes as we discussed tion. Phuket [in Thailand] isabove, it is always more con-also amazing. venient to load with our char- Yachts aboard a special BBC MPP carrier.AJOT:Howdidyouter lift on vessel, however if a cometodecideonusinganclient has unique port require- the process? side:loadmasters,stevedores,yacht your company moved? assetlightcharteringments or an urgent timetable,DmitryFaber:Itisadivers, welders, owners crews.Andwerethereanyunique businessmodelwhenyoulinerserviceworksamazinghumongousefforttoputAll loving each other and sing- engineering demands for the launchedFMTYachtTrans- to meet any goal. loadingtogetherandmakeingkumbayabehindaroundmovement? port? Any thoughts on chang- AJOT:Whatspecial- itsmooth.Weemployload- tablemostofthetime.EachDmitry Faber: 165 x 30 ingthebusinessmodelwithizedequipmentisusedinmasters (MHL mainly as theycrewisintegraltotheopera- /450tonssofar,engineer-FMT Yacht Transport owningthe loading and discharge ofarethebestintheindustry),tion, and each is respected andingrequirementsincluded ormovingintoalong-termtheyachts?Doyouhavetoalsoonanytypicalshipwecherished by FMT.(SPECIALIZEDcontin-charter on a vessel? deploypersonneltooverseehave 5 crews working side byAJOT: What was the largestued on page 24)DmitryFaber:Itcame based on supply and demand. We started by booking yachts with other charterers in North America and Med and Carib-bean and then when we saw that we have more than 7-10 boatsoneveryvessel.We chartered our own vessels to have more control on sched-uleandofferclientsour model of coordination, extra services like shrinkwrap, cap-tainsto/fromvessels,my attendance onboard and smil-ingtoclientsfromtheshipCLOSERandcoveringallaspectsof yachttransportfrommarina to ship to marina as turnkey services. We looked into long termcharteringin2020and 2021 and due to time charter ratesbeingatall-timehighs had decided to wait. It is my dreamtoowncargovesselsON THE COLUMBIA RIVER IN WASHINGTON STATEand to put them on dedicatedFASTERtrade lines with the cargo hold used for brokers and friends tomoveothercommodities, and decks for yachts to give the yachting community pre-dictableschedules,sothey can plan ahead and know that our ships will always come.DIRECT CONNECTIONS TO MAINLINE RAIL & INTERSTATE HIGHWAYSAJOT:GiventhatyachtSMARTERtransportation is such a niche business,istherearepeat customerelementtothe yacht transport market?DmitryFaber:Of course,mostofourbook-ingsarereferralsandrepeat customers. We have a pretty goodretentionrate.ManySTORAGE OPTIONS & FOREIGN TRADE ZONE SPACEclientsareinterestedtoBETTERsignroundtripbookingsto/from key trades so they can plantheirsummers/winters alwayschasingsunnydays and best weather and we see ownersspending6months inFloridaand6monthsin the Med or Asia or PNW. It is always a bit frustrating andON-DOCK RAIL & DUAL-SERVED BY BNSF & UPmore challenging with some brokerages, clients and yacht management companies who have the rule to ask 7 quotes fromtheentireindustryCONTACT US AT [email protected] | PORTOFLONGVIEW.COMbefore deciding to book even though they shipped with one'