Superyacht Summit Türkiye 2026 · 4th Edition · 4–5 Nov 2026
Two days on the Bosphorus put Türkiye’s growing role in the global superyacht industry firmly in the spotlight.
Superyacht Summit Türkiye (SST) wrapped up its fourth edition in Istanbul on 4–5 November 2026, drawing 550+ global attendees to The Peninsula Istanbul and Novotel Istanbul Bosphorus. Shaped by more than 40 speakers and with 20+ shipyards in attendance, the 2026 edition brought brokers, builders, designers, owners’ representatives, insurers, financiers and service providers together to discuss where the industry goes next.
550+ Global attendees
40+ Speakers
20+ Shipyards
A Market Defined by Selectivity
The summit opened with keynote addresses from Recep Düzgit, Chairman of the Board of IMEAK Chamber of Shipping (DTO), and Gökhan Yücel, Head of Communications at the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, who made the case for investing in Türkiye.
Martin Redmayne, Chairman and Editor in Chief of The Superyacht Group, then presented a project update on The Strategic Intelligence Report for Türkiye’s Superyacht Sector, a new study by SST and The Superyacht Group asking owners, designers, captains, brokers, managers and owners’ representatives what the wider world thinks of Türkiye as a builder, refit hub, cruising ground and service provider. The data he shared set the scene: Turkish yards delivered a record 43 yachts over 24 metres in 2024, followed by 33 in 2025, placing Türkiye firmly among the industry’s leading building nations.
Redmayne stayed on stage to moderate the opening panel, “Reading the Market: What 2026 Told Us, What 2027 Might Bring, and What We Need to Do by 2030,” alongside Alain Auvare of Fraser Yachts, Alex G. Clarke of Denison Yachting and Arnaud de Gordon of UBS Switzerland. Framing the discussion around his Market Matrix, Redmayne split the market into its three core segments, 24 to 40 metres, 40 to 60 metres and 60 metres-plus, and asked the panel what they are seeing in each from a new-build and brokerage perspective. The session closed with a strategic question for each panellist: where Türkiye stands today, and where it needs to focus beyond 2030.
Inside the Build
Project case studies formed the backbone of the morning. In “The Arcane Project,” moderated by decarbonisation specialist Camille Lopez (HY-Plug), Hristo Dafnopatidis (RMK Yachts), Hendrik Conradi (Espen Øino International) and Francesco Giudice (Volvo Penta) presented Arcane Era and Arcane Nova, two 55-metre yachts born from the same vision of creating the largest possible open spaces below 500 GT. The discussion turned to flexible propulsion, its impact on space, comfort and range, and the role of HVO biofuel in cutting emissions after delivery. RMK’s new 70,000-square-metre yacht-building facility in Yalova, due to become operational next year, added a clear signal of the yard’s ambitions.
“From Contract to Delivery of Complex Yacht Projects,” moderated by Efe Ülken (Ülken Law), followed a build from the first decisions before signing through to sea trials and acceptance. Hans-Maarten Bais (Diana Yacht Design), Oleg Timashev (Fraser Yachts) and Phil Noad (Cayman Islands Shipping Registry) were then put to the test with a live scenario: a 70-metre custom yacht, a major layout change requested six months before delivery, a six-month delay and an owner who refuses to accept it.
In “Beyond the Brochure: The Decisions Behind Simena,” Ares Yachts’ Piraye Şahinkaya Orhun, John Everett (Design Unlimited) and Tanju Kalaycıoğlu (Taka Yacht Design) went behind the specification sheet of Ares Yachts’ Simena, one of the world’s largest completed ketch sailing yachts and a milestone for Turkish yacht building, discussing the choices, compromises and lessons behind the project.
Celebrating the Industry’s Pioneers
After lunch, Levent Baktır, Chairman of TYFED, the Federation of the Yachting Industry of Türkiye, presented “One Voice, One Future: United for Global Power,” making the case for a Turkish yachting industry that speaks with one voice on the global stage.
It was followed by the Plaque Presentation, honouring the people and partners who have helped build the industry. Begüm Doğulu received the Industry Impact & Leadership award for building international connections through Begüm Yachting and the wider Begüm Group, and Sinan Özer was recognised for 50 Years of Excellence, marking half a century since he founded Aegean Yacht. The presentation closed with a Lifetime Achievement award for Mehmet Karabeyoğlu, whose work helped establish Türkiye’s reputation in the international superyacht industry. Artsys and Cimolai Technology were also recognised for supporting the summit across all four editions.
Karabeyoğlu then stayed on stage for a fireside chat moderated by Cem Akoğul of Faros Yachts. The engineer behind the 50-metre Turquoise launched in 1994 and co-founder of Proteksan Turquoise, he looked back from the early days of handshake deals to today’s heavily contracted projects, and from his role in bringing Formula 1 to Istanbul Park to the questions now facing Turkish yards: what replaces price as their competitive edge, and how much of the green transition is genuine engineering progress.
Partnership, Risk and Ownership
The afternoon turned to the relationships that shape a yacht’s life. In “Finding the Right Long-Term Partner in Yacht Building,” moderator Fatih Kapucu of SES Yachts, a yard whose 40-metre sailing yacht Grace III was its fifth for the same family, was joined by Andrea Armas (Specialist Marine), Ege Mengi (Mengi Yay Yachts) and Melike Dilek (ABS) to discuss why owners come back, how class can help a project say yes rather than no, and what owners should do before signing with a shipyard. In the morning, Capt. Değer Pamuk (Türk P&I) and Erdem Atabey (Lockton Omni), moderated by Levent Baktır (Maritime Cook Islands), examined who carries the risk while international yachts are in Turkish yards, and Ernesto Esposito of OmniAccess led a parallel masterclass on virtualization and AI on board.
“Why Yacht Management Defines the Ownership Experience,” moderated by Noyan Mutlugil (Mutlutur Yachting), brought together Alaettin Sevim (FEMA Marine), Berna Akkor (D&D Law Office), Levent Baktır (Xone Superyacht Group) and Capt. Mario Stipanicic (Columbia Yacht Services) to explore what owners now expect beyond technical and operational services, where a management company’s legal responsibility begins and ends, and how transparency and digital reporting can protect a yacht’s long-term value.
Dilan Sarac of The Superyacht Life Foundation presented the global economic impact of the industry, before “Designing for the Second Owner” brought a crew perspective to interior design. Moderated by Tamara M. Madra (D-Crew Academy & AVA Archon Group), a former chief stewardess who spent twelve years living inside yacht interiors, Cana Gökhan (Red Yacht Design) and artist Ornella Gallo Di Fortuna (Ornella Gallo Art) debated whether personalisation and longevity can coexist, how commissioned art can become part of a yacht’s identity and survive a change of owner, and how interiors can absorb technology that ages faster than any veneer.
In “The New Rules of Yacht Brokerage,” Alev Semiz (Fraser Yachts) put practical questions to Freya Olsen (Boats Group), Nick Gelevert (Boatsters Black) and Onur Erardağ (Nautique Yachting): are listing platforms generating real business or just visibility, can the information AI provides be trusted, and what can an experienced broker offer that no website or algorithm can? The panel programme closed with “The Making of a Luxury Destination,” where superyacht consultant Marcela de Kern, Dilek Seven Tan (Kıyı Marina), Samuel Bolton (Quintessentially), Simone Centola (The Superyacht Cluster, Singapore) and Victor Meyer (M3 Monaco) asked whether a destination can buy its way into the luxury market through infrastructure alone, or whether reputation takes generations to build. Day one ended with an evening cocktail party at The Peninsula Istanbul.
From the Stage to the Table and the Yard
On 5 November, the SST Roundtables brought delegates together around nine dedicated tables, with topics ranging from onboard energy efficiency and the legal future of yachting in Türkiye to yacht finance, the July 2027 anti-money laundering regulations and digital transformation onboard.
At the same time, delegates headed to Tuzla, the heart of Turkish yacht building, for exclusive visits to RMK Yachts, KRM Yacht Refit & Rebuild and Mengi Yay Yachts. For brokers and owners’ representatives travelling from abroad, the visits offered a rare chance to experience Turkish yacht building up close: walking through the production halls, seeing new-build and refit projects in progress, and meeting the teams behind them. They were able to see for themselves the craftsmanship, capacity and long-term vision that are driving Türkiye’s growing reputation in the global superyacht market.
With its fourth edition, Superyacht Summit Türkiye has confirmed Istanbul’s place on the industry calendar, not only as a forum for discussion, but as the place where conversations between the global superyacht industry and Turkish yacht building turn into lasting partnerships.
Superyacht Summit Türkiye extends its sincere thanks to all of its sponsors and partners, whose generous support made the 2026 edition possible.
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