One such site that expects to take advantage of site scarcity and attract prospective bidders from an international field, is Sentosa Cove. Located close to Singapore's central business district with convenient access to the Riau Archipelago and the South China Sea, Sentosa Cove Marina aims to position itself among Asia's top yachting hubs. The sizeable marina
basin -potentially one of the largest in the region-is sized to accommodate up to 240 boats, including ten megayachts.

The Marina is part of an ambitious waterfront development project undertaken by Sentosa Cove Pte Ltd (a subsidiary of the Singapore statutory board, Sentosa Development Corporation), for which land sales are about to proceed. When fully completed, the marina at Sentosa Cove will anchor an up-market development comprising prime waterfront residential homes, a vibrant commercial precinct with shops, cafes, restaurants and a resort hotel. The company is currently seeking expressions of interest from potential marina developers who are keen to tender. Ong Tiong Beng, chief executive officer of Sentosa Cove Pte Ltd explains: "This is a spectacular opportunity for marina developers keen to extend their presence into the Asia-Pacific. Located right in the heart of Singapore, coupled with superb infrastructure, the marina serves as a gateway for commercial and leisure travellers alike. Sentosa Cove combines all the winning attributes of a world-class marina, with sheltered waters designed with megayachts in mind. The marina basin and landward site have been formed and completed, giving the astute developer a quick start opportunity."

"In fact, part of the marina is currently in operation on a short-term lease. To-date, it has already played host to megayachts like La Baronessa, Ilana, The Princesa of Valentina and Ambrosia. The year 2000 also saw a record number of 30 megayacht visits to Singapore at the marina," he adds.

Interested parties can contact Mr Ong at fax +65 274 3937 or email ong_tiong_beng@sentosa.com.sg.

As reported in the Nov/Dec 2000 issue of Marina World, in addition to Sentosa Cove and not far from it, Keppel Land is also planning a marina development at its Keppel Bay site, adjacent to the Singapore World Trade Centre. Formerly a shipyard, the best economic use for the site inevitably changed as the city expanded progressively in its direction.

But in contrast with Sentosa Cove's waterfront residences which are deliberately kept low density to connect with Sentosa Islands' established resort theme, Keppel Bay's 32 hectare land-side development is conceptualised as mainly high-rise. The first stage will yield almost 1000 condominium units in 22 blocks, with heights ranging from four to ten storeys, to be marketed in phases. The project successfully soft-launched in September 2000. The marina basin is being formed by the construction of a causeway from the mainland to the eastern edge of Keppel Island, with the seaward approach from the west. Although the basin can accommodate 160 berths, this is likely to be staged, to allow the market a longer period to absorb the additional capacity.

The adjoining 20.3 hectare site belonging to the PSA Corporation, that houses the World Trade Centre (WTC), Cable Car Towers, Cruise Centre and exhibition halls is also being redeveloped or renovated in keeping with the Keppel Bay development, so that the entire stretch of waterfront will be revitalised. To ease access, all these developments will eventually be linked to the
efficiently managed mass rapid transit system that already stretches across much of Singapore.

Ironically, the redevelopment of the exhibition halls in the vicinity of the WTC dealt a crushing blow to the 2001 plans for boat & METS Asia. The WTC site, being close to the water, had been the location of choice for the boat show enabling it to have an on-water component. With the site in the process of redevelopment, the organisers, Messe Dusseldorf Asia had no choice but to relocate the show to the relatively new Singapore Expo. Exhibitors felt less comfortable with this and the move, coupled with a show below exhibitors , expectations the previous year, led to a weak response for 2001. The result is that the organisers now plan to skip the show in 2001 and for 2002 to combine the boat show with Asia Dive Expo (ADEX). The link-up of these two shows will hopefully generate more interest and result in a better event with wider market outreach and appeal. Gernot Ringling, MDA's managing director, is working to include other show products and events to eventually turn the show period into a fully fledged maritime week.

As a result of the postponement of boat & METS Asia, the MARINAS 7 conference has also been put on hold. However, the Advance Marina Manager (AMM) Course by US-based International Marina Institute (IM1) will continue to run, as it appeals to a more focused audience. This AMM Course is the first in Asia, and will be held from 30th March to 5th April 2001. Additional information is available from IMI (tel: +1 941 480 0081; email: imimarina@aol.com) or Spinnaker International (fax +65 234 1820; email: ahoy@spinnaker.com.sg), or visit IMI's website http://www.imimarina.org.

Artist's impression of Sentosa Cove and Keppel Bay(Left)