HANSA Yachts 01-2023

HANSA YACHTS
© Heesen Yachts
Mr. Brouwer, in recent years more than
one crisis has had a global impact. To
what extent have these hard times affected
global wealth?
Arthur Brouwer: The Global Wealth Report
by Credit Suisse shows that by the
end of 2021, global wealth totalled an estimated
463.6 tn $. Showing an increase
of 9.8 % compared to 2020, far above the
average annual 6.6 % increase recorded
since the beginning of the century.
We are talking about an increase in global
capital. In which countries are most of
this global wealth concentrated?
Brouwer: At the top of the wealth pyramid,
the United States ranks highest by
far, with over 140,000 ultra-high-networth
individuals (those with wealth
above 50 mill. $), followed by China with
32,710 individuals. Worldwide, Credit
Suisse estimates that there were 62.5 milllion
millionaires at the end of 2021,
5.2 million more than the year before.
The number of millionaires worldwide is
on the rise. Is the same true for the
number of billionaires?
Brouwer: The SYBAss Economic Report
also tells us that the billionaire population
has risen 8 % annually over the last
two decades.
What does this mean for the superyacht
industry?
Brouwer: The superyacht market experienced
a boom after the Covid-19 crisis,
with record-breaking orders for superyachts
over 40 m in length: 134 in 2021
alone!
2022 became a memorable year, but unfortunately,
for the wrong reasons. Not
everything was positive: the invasion of
Ukraine by Russian troops triggered the
worst security crisis in Europe in decades.
What does this mean for the global
economy?
Brouwer: The economic damage from
the war in Ukraine has contributed to a
slowdown in global growth in 2022, and a
rise in inflation. In its July 2022 World
Economic Outlook update, the IMF
noted that global growth will slow from
an estimated 6.1 % in 2021 to 3.6 % in
2022 and 2023. That’s 0.8 and 0.2 percentage
points lower for 2022 and 2023, respectively
than forecast in January. Following
the pandemic-related slowdown
in 2020, we experienced a surge in global
demand after the pandemic. Along with
supply chain disruptions due to closures
in China, increased raw material prices
and input costs. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
and its aftermath exacerbated the
problem. It also triggered a global cost of
living crisis and led to a humanitarian
disaster.
How badly has the yachting industry
been affected by economic instability?
Brouwer: Global economic uncertainty is
difficult for all of us to bear. But while it
would be easy to fall into pessimism, we
are not yet on the cliff ’s edge. The post-
Covid boom for yachting is still creating
more demand than supply in our industry.
Thanks to full order books, I expect
that most shipyards, and certainly our
colleagues at the Superyacht Builders Association,
will be able to bridge this period
with relative ease and absorb the drop
in demand. That’s not to say that everything
has been easy. At Heesen, we had to
deal with the consequences of the conflict
in Ukraine more than other players in our
sector. But overcoming obstacles is part of
our DNA. As most of you know, Heesen
has earned a reputation for finding sol-
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