Rivergate has won praise from the captain of an international motor yacht for its refurbishment and maintenance capabilities, rating the marina and shipyard as the best he has been to for refit work.
The captain of MY Plan B, Mark Downes, said during his lengthy tenure in the superyacht industry throughout various parts of the world, Rivergate remains his number one choice for refit and maintenance work.
MY Plan B. Image source: CharterWorld
“The maintenance periods of a yacht make up a very large part of their calendar year allowing them to keep to the highest level of standards,” he said. “I have carried out substantial maintenance works in Europe, the US, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of three fairly large maintenance periods at Rivergate Marina and Shipyard.
“To date, I can confidently say that Rivergate is the best shipyard that I have been to for refit work.”
Motor Yacht Plan B was built by the Australian Navy in 1973 and has undergone extensive refit work to transform it from a warship into a luxury vessel.
Some of its notable features include an outdoor cinema, helipad, jacuzzi, massage room and gym.
Mark credits both the high level of customer service and the expertise of Rivergate’s contractors for the exceptional standard of work previously carried out on MY Plan B.
MY Plan B at Rivergate Marina and Shipyard in October 2021.
“They go over and above to ensure the boat leaves with a feeling of wanting to return for future work periods,” he continued.
“Rivergate Marina and Shipyard is an asset to the superyacht industry in both the state of Queensland and Australia wide.”
While Rivergate is already recognised as Australia’s leading refit destination and one of the top three international superyacht shipyards, its upcoming expansion is set to make Rivergate and Brisbane the primary superyacht base for the Asia Pacific region.
The $200 million repair, refit and maintenance centre will create around 2,000 new jobs in an employment windfall for Queensland and contribute close to $1 billion a year to the state’s economy.
The expansion will allow Rivergate to meet global pent-up demand with increased service capabilities for superyachts and support the expanding Defence, Government, and commercial vessel markets.
It will also see the creation of a state-of-the-art shiplift for vessels up to 90 metres and 3,000 tonnes and capacity for 8 to 12 vessels, making Rivergate the largest superyacht hub in the Asia Pacific region – which is welcome news for luxury superyacht captains.
“[Rivergate] will bring many of these yachts, that spend millions of dollars in a very short period of time, to the region through word of mouth due to their excellent reputation,” said the captain of MY Plan B.
“I look forward to many more successful shipyard periods with them in the future.”
You can learn more about Rivergate’s expansion plans here.
