The international network where boating is already in the future
A group founded in 2003 in Greece and now 100% controlled by CVC Capital Partners, the 186 billion euro asset fund that bought it in 2021, D-Marin has a turnover of 150 million euros and 26 marinas in its portfolio, including Spain, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Malta and Italy. Along the Peninsula, in fact, it manages Marina Punta Faro in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Marina degli Aregai in Santo Stefano al Mare, and Marina di San Lorenzo of the Cozzi Parodi group, in addition to Azimut-Benetti’s Marina di Varazze, from which it also had the management of Marina di Livorno, still under construction. “D-Marin,” says the general manager in Italy, Nicolò Caffo, “works to create a network of marinas in the Mediterranean. In 2021 we had ports of call in Greece, Turkey and Croatia, and since then we have more than doubled. The strategy is to follow what was done about 50 years ago by hotel groups, which acquired large hotels and turned them into a chain. This does not yet exist in boating.” To grow as a network, D-Marin acquires existing premium marinas to include them in its network: it now has 13 thousand berths in 9 countries. In addition, the group also builds marinas. This is the case with the Vlora Marina in Albania, the Pylos project in Greece and the Porto Mediceo in Livorno. “Premium marina means that we are interested in a port if it is of a certain size, with hundreds of berths, and where there are still years of concession, so that we can make investments there and amortize them.
A marina where it makes sense to provide services of a certain level, for boats of at least 35 or 40 meters. Then, of course, moorings for smaller boats are also fine, but harbors for only boats up to 10 and 15 meters do not interest us. For the future, we are already in talks with three marinas and are talking to ten others: not all in Italy, but increasing the presence along the Boot is essential to grow in the Mediterranean.” Not to mention that D-Marin’s network ports sail into the future, via the Web and beyond. “We have already invested 10 million euros in technology, from wi-fi to a customer management system just like the big luxury groups. We have developed a website and app from which people can choose and book berths-all in an area where people still queue inside the port to pay. And we have developed smart columns with a QR code that you scan with your smartphone so you can activate, manage and pay for utilities. Each of our operators is then connected to our system to know in advance the needs of a shipowner arriving from another of our ports.”
