Sunseeker sails through the choppy waters

Booming orders from Russia and the Middle East are behind the record profits at Luxury yacht builder Sunseeker, whose craft feature in the new James Bond film. Turnover for the year to July was up 22 per cent to a record £293m and after-tax profits rose 19 per cent to £13.9m.

The bulk of this went straight back into the business, as it paid no dividend but took on 312 factory workers and added shipyard facilities to cater for 30 to 45m yachts.

The Dorset-based business is now the UK's biggest motor yacht builder with its range of 22 models crowned by the £11m Predator 130. Sunseeker's clients include an old James Bond, Sir Roger Moore.

Robert Braithwaite, Sunseeker's managing director, said: "Distributors in the Middle East, Far East, Russia and Australia are all reporting higher levels of enquiries and sales." He added that "the com-pany's order book is currently running at an all-time high" with firm orders for the next two to three years, so it is set for another banner year in 2009.

Sunseeker has at least five yachts under development and due to be launched over the next year, but all is not set fair for rival Worcestershire yacht builder Sealine, which announced earlier this month that it would be shedding nearly half of its 630-strong workforce and closing two sites.