When the Monaco Yacht Show opens on 23 September, around 120 superyachts are expected to fill Port Hercule. Forty-three yachts in the initial fleet are 2026 deliveries – an impressive demonstration of both the scale and continuing sophistication of the global superyacht market.
But for today’s yacht owner, choosing the yacht itself is increasingly only the beginning of the conversation.
Behind every major yacht sits a complex combination of ownership, tax, VAT and customs, financing, crewing, regulatory compliance, charter operations and, increasingly, AML and source-of-wealth considerations.
The successful ownership of a superyacht therefore requires considerably more planning than establishing a company and registering a vessel.
Bigger yachts, more sophisticated ownership
The 2026 Monaco fleet illustrates how the market is evolving.
While the global order book has contracted in number of projects for a second consecutive year, average yacht length and tonnage under construction are at record levels. Build slots at leading yards extend into 2028 and 2029.
The Monaco Yacht Show itself will bring together yachts ranging from around 24 metres to more than 100 metres, with particularly strong representation in the commercially important 40–60 metre segment.
This increasing scale has consequences beyond construction cost.
The larger and more operationally complex a yacht becomes, the greater the importance of getting its ownership and administration right from the outset.
Structure before incorporation
There is rarely a single “best jurisdiction” in which to own a yacht.
The appropriate solution depends upon the owner’s residence and nationality, where the yacht will operate, whether it will be used privately or commercially, how it will be financed, its VAT status, flag, intended charter activity and the owner’s wider wealth and succession arrangements.
A corporate structure that works perfectly for one owner may be entirely inappropriate for another.
The starting point should therefore be the intended use of the yacht – not the incorporation of an owning company. The choice of the flag and owning company needs to be considered at the start of a new building project.
The structure should also be reviewed over time. A yacht initially acquired exclusively for private use may subsequently enter charter. An owner may change residence. Financing may change, or the yacht may move between operational areas.
Each event can have tax, VAT, regulatory and compliance consequences.
AML has become part of yacht ownership
The other major change is regulatory.
The international drive against money laundering has increasingly reached the non-financial sectors surrounding private wealth and luxury assets.
Yachting is no exception.
Yacht brokers and other professionals may need to establish not simply who owns the company purchasing a yacht, but the identity of its ultimate beneficial owner and, where appropriate, the origin of the wealth and funds supporting a transaction.
This can be particularly challenging where ownership involves trusts, foundations, family investment companies or multi-jurisdictional structures.
For legitimate owners, this does not mean that complex structures are inherently problematic. It does mean that they need to be capable of being explained and documented.
A well-designed ownership structure should therefore be not merely tax-efficient and legally robust, but bankable and compliance-ready.
To avoid nasty last minute surprises compliance on sellers and purchasers of yachts need to start well in advance of completion day.
When the yacht is put out to charter working with brokers who have recognised the importance of AML checks on charterparties will give the owner comfort as to who is onboard their vessel, and avoid potentially embarrassing circumstances.
The yacht as part of the family wealth structure
Perhaps the most important development is that advisers are increasingly looking at the yacht in the context of the owner’s wider affairs.
A €50 million or €100 million yacht cannot sensibly be treated as an isolated asset.
What happens to it on the owner’s death? Is ownership coordinated with the owner’s will and succession arrangements? If the owning company is held through a trust or family structure, do the trustees understand the operational and financial commitments associated with the yacht? Who has authority to sell or refinance it?
The same questions arise during the owner’s lifetime.
Family use, charter activity, related-party payments and the funding of operating costs all require appropriate governance and accounting.
Monaco’s particular advantage
This is where Monaco occupies an unusual position.
It is simultaneously one of the world’s principal centres of private wealth and one of the centres of the international superyacht industry. Private banks, family offices, trustees, tax advisers and wealth managers operate alongside builders, brokers, managers, designers and maritime professionals.
The Monaco Yacht Show reflects that convergence.
Its importance is no longer simply the extraordinary collection of yachts assembled in Port Hercule. It is the opportunity for owners and their advisers to bring together the different specialists required throughout the yacht’s ownership lifecycle, from acquisition and structuring through operation, charter, refit and ultimately sale or succession.
For the modern yacht owner, that joined-up approach is becoming essential.
The yacht may remain the most visible asset in the harbour. Increasingly, however, it is the quality of the structure and professional infrastructure behind it that determines whether ownership runs smoothly.
Rosemont Yacht Services recognises the importance of these developments would be pleased to discuss them with existing and potential yacht owners.
Contact us:
Or meet us on our stand at the show - QJ5 (Quai Jarlin)
Peter Brigham, Rosemont Yacht Services