São Paulo – Last month, four speedboats made by the Brazilian shipbuilding company Ventura Marine arrived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was the company’s first sale to the Arab market, but the Arab importers have a meeting scheduled with the Arab importers in the first half, which may lead to further deals. The information was passed on to ANBA by Ventura Marine commercial director Marco Garcia.
Ventura exported 16- to 21-feet-long boats to Dubai; two were 210 models, one was a 180 model, and another was a 160 model. The boats are designed for leisure in sheltered waters, i.e. where the coast is in sight. The deal was closed in November, and the boats were loaded onto a ship in December. According to Garcia, the deal originated from a contact made long ago at a boat show in Genova, Italy.
Ventura Marine has exported to Portugal and Spain in the past, but focused on the domestic market for the past few years. “The domestic consumption volume in Brazil is sizeable,” says Garcia. According to the executive, a year ago, the exchange rate was not export-prone. “Now that the US dollar is worth R$ 2.40, the foreign market has become more attractive. Add to that the fact that the trade environment in Brazil is more relaxed right now,” says Garcia regarding the slowdown in domestic consumption.
As a result of these factors, Ventura Marine is paying more attention to exports, and believes the outlook is good for its units in Dubai. According to him, the reasons include coastline expansion (due to reclamation works and artificial island construction) and growing sea-related tourism. “Their sea is sailable and clean,” he says.
Ventura Marine has existed for 30 years and started out as a manufacturing plant in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Presently, the company has two plants, one of them in Capitólio, in the state of Minas Gerais, to which the Rio unit was transferred in 2003. In 2007, a new plant was inaugurated at the Manaus Free Zone, in the state of Amazonas, in order to gain competitive edge in North Brazil. The facilities cover a combined 30,000 square metres.
The company makes boats spanning from 16 to 41 feet, at price points ranging from R$ 30,000 to R$ 2 million (roughly US$ 12,000 to US$ 850,000 at current exchange rates). By the end of this year, according to Garcia, 50- and 60-foot boats will be launched, costing up to R$ 6 million (US$ 2.5 million). The boats’ engines are imported.
Contact:
Ventura Marine
Website: www.venturanautica.com.br
Telephone: (+55 11) 5531-6642 and (+55 37) 3373-2124
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
