With its 156 meters in length, the Dilbar leaves no one indifferent when it enters a port. Its spectacular nature and dimensions make its stopovers become news… except in Barcelona, where it is practically part of everyday life. Since its launch, this megayacht has already passed through the Catalan capital up to 11 times in just five years and it is here, in MB92, where its owner takes the boat to carry out revisions, improvements and fine-tuning.
The Dilbar, which despite its size can accommodate only 40 guests served by about 90 crew members, has the flag of the Cayman Islands and was built in Bremen by Lürssen, the historic German shipyard founded in 1875 that in recent decades has been become one of the world’s great specialists in the mega and superyacht sector. In fact, five of the ten largest yachts in the world have been built by this company and practically all of them have passed through MB92, the Barcelona clinic for large pleasure boats.
And it is around what for some are vacations, leisure and luxury sailing in huge pleasure yachts, a naval industry dedicated to the maintenance and care of these boats has grown, which for many great fortunes are their residences at sea. That’s where a company from Barcelona has become a reference for a sector that does not stop growing.
In fact, since the end of the last century and during the first two decades of the 21st, the large yacht segment has exploded. What used to be an exception today constitutes a huge business: in 2021 there are already 170 yachts with more than 75 meters in length, of which 55 exceed 100, a figure that continues to grow thanks to specialized shipyards such as the aforementioned Lürssen, the Italians Mariotti, Fincantieri and Benetti or the Dutch Feadship who work at full speed in new constructions, constructions that, later, as if it were a medical visit, go through maintenance, repair and adaptation centers.
Curiously, the current great world reference in the sector, MB92, which began its activity in coincidence with the restructuring of the Port Vell area, was not focused on large lengths but rather its specialty was in the supply of technical services for recreational boats of all kinds, although always under 20-25 meters: sailboats, motorboats and small yachts, although after two years, seeing the interesting and growing drift of the sector towards increasingly larger pleasure boats, he focused on it, growing in the Western Pier and the Catalunya Pier, in the area closest to the Barcelona Swimming Club, the Sant Sebastià Tower or the W hotel, a building that, at that time, was not in the minds of its promoter, much less of the members from the Bofill Studio to which the building-sail was commissioned years later.
What marked the great growth of this shipyard was the floating shed from 1997 (now in history) to carry out painting work and also the creation of the first Syncrolift in the Mediterranean, an automatic lift with capacity for yachts up to 2,000 tons. Already in this century, and between 2010 and 2012, the company expanded its potential once again by integrating a former neighbor, the historic Unión Naval de Barcelona shipyards, into its facilities. This amount of space earned MB92 one of its most important assets: the dry dock, where precisely these weeks the yacht Dilbar is being subjected to work on its hull. The great luxury is now repaired where previously merchants, oil tankers, cruise ships or some ferries from Baleària or Trasmediterránea were cared for. By the way, the second shipping company was once the co-owner of the Unión Naval shipyards, both in Valencia and Barcelona.
And speaking of property, MB92 is currently owned by Squircle Capital, the venture capital manager founded by José Caireta, which closed the purchase of 77.5% of this shipyard in 2019 from the Turkish Dogus fund, which, in turn, had acquired these facilities in 2015, a stage in which the shipyard continued to grow, improve, expand facilities and add clients. Who has always been at the head of the shipyard, regardless of who has had the majority of the capital, has been Pepe García-Aubert, president and CEO of the house. An accomplished sailor, he went professionally from the automotive world to the maritime world and has remained in it since the founding of the shipyard. As a good navigator, he knows the sector in which he moves, hence the absolute discretion of him and his team, in charge of taking care of the yachts of the great fortunes of the planet, who, with few exceptions, are very reluctant to know anything about their houseboats, and that in MB92 is a trademark of the house: absolute silence especially anything that has to do with those magnificent boats that are moored or on the docks of their facilities.
Regarding workers and work, this naval company has 132 direct and 900 indirect employees, which are those of specialized companies that have specific tasks on ships, while, on average, Each year around 110 projects of scheduled maintenance, extraordinary repairs, modernization of yachts are carried out and other jobs that sometimes take months, both because of the size of the boats and the shipowners’ zeal to ensure that everything is new, impeccable and perfect for sailing again.
MB92 is the brand of the house: absolute silence on everything that has to do with those magnificent boats that are moored or on the docks of its facilities
All the discretion that is in the docks of MB92 contrasts with the conversion to open book that has been the start of its 2021-2025 sustainability plan. With this, the Squircle Capital company, also owner of Marina Port Vell and the luxury residential building built in the old Winterthur headquarters in Plaza Francesc Macià, aims to consolidate itself as the world benchmark in caring for the environment in its activity sector.
The plan foresees an investment of four million euros and includes six areas of action: reduce the carbon footprint, eliminate emissions generated by combustion gases, minimize and optimize waste generation, improve the shipyard’s water quality, to lead the industry in commitments such as reducing the emission of particles and to advance with its purpose as a socially responsible entity, as with the Water Revolution Foundation plan: a carbon calculator that will allow you to quantify the emissions generated with your activity, since the arrival of the client’s boat to the shipyard, the execution of the repair and conditioning works, until the departure of his boat.
The 2021-2025 sustainability plan foresees an investment of four million euros and includes six areas of action
With this system, MB92 acquires the commitment to inform its clients about the environmental impact of the actions carried out in order for them to make an equivalent economic contribution through blue carbon and regenerating underwater ecosystems.. As the company explains, for each contribution made by each client, the shipyard makes the same. This represents an innovation, as is the digitalization, automation and remote control of 100% of energy consumption from renewable sources, or the installation of a battery module that will allow energy to be stored and used more efficiently.
As part of the plan, MB92 Barcelona has established alliances with local and international organizations such as the United Nations, the aforementioned Water Revolution Foundation or the Generalitat through the Canvi Climàtic Agreements. This will suppose the fulfillment of commitments such as the neutralization of 100% of the carbon emitted before 2050, the publication of the value of the investments made to reduce polluting emissions and the application of a plan to increase energy efficiency with quantitative objectives in lighting, air conditioning and production activity.
And in the meantime, as the title of Federico Fellini’s film filmed in 1983 says … And the ship goes.
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