The V&A Waterfront has announced a 230 million ZAR (approximately $13.7 million USD) investment in the Quay 7 superyacht marina in Cape Town, South Africa, with completion targeted for October 2026.
The marina will be built within the V&A Waterfront’s working harbour, one of the oldest in the southern hemisphere, in front of the new Cape Town EDITION hotel. The basin will face the Atlantic Ocean, with views across the City Bowl and the iconic Table Mountain.
The Quay 7 superyacht marina will have eight berths, including six stern-in and two beam-on spaces for vessels up to 90 metres in length. Floating jetties will provide electricity, water and Wi-Fi. Fuel will be available at Elbow Quay through the FFS refuelling facility.
The marina is designed to serve a dual purpose throughout the year, accommodating visiting superyachts during peak seasons and supporting commissioning and export preparation for Cape Town’s catamaran manufacturing industry during the off-season, including Robertson and Caine, Two Oceans Marine and Balance Catamarans.
The development is expected to contribute to employment in marine services, supply chains and hospitality. On-site facilities will include a 113.71 square metre concierge lounge and a 100 square metre storage facility, with access to repair and refit services through nearby infrastructure such as Syncrolift and Robinson Dry Dock.
The V&A Waterfront is pursuing Gold Anchor accreditation for the facility, which would position it among an elite cohort of internationally certified marinas. Currently, no Gold Anchor-accredited facilities exist in the immediate geographic region.
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Shifts in global superyacht routes
According to a press release issued by the V&A Waterfront, the development responds to a fundamental shift in global superyacht routing patterns.
“Instability in the Red Sea has accelerated the long-term migration of vessels away from traditional Mediterranean–Caribbean circuits towards the Indian Ocean, southern Africa and Australasia. With insurance restrictions reinforcing the rerouting of traffic around the Cape of Good Hope rather than through the Suez Canal, demand for premium berthing at this strategic waypoint has intensified,” the V&A Waterfront said.
Graham Wood, CEO of the V&A Waterfront, commented: “Superyacht visits have grown steadily since 2009 and we welcomed 35 vessels in the 2024/25 season alone. Many stay for extended periods – six months, sometimes a year – because Cape Town offers a unique mix: world-class tourism, reliable marine services and access to adventure cruising routes that simply don’t exist in traditional yachting hubs.”
Andre Blaine, executive director of marine and industrial property at V&A Waterfront, said: “This isn’t only a leisure marina, it’s economic infrastructure. It creates sustained demand for fuel suppliers, provisioning companies, marine engineers, crew training facilities and logistics operators. It supports local manufacturers who need berthing space for commissioning. And it positions Cape Town as a credible technical hub, not just a beautiful harbour.”
In the press release seen by Marina World, Blaine added: “Captains and owners are seeking smarter, more operationally efficient alternatives to saturated hubs. Cape Town offers not just a safe harbour and world-class provisioning, but access to adventure cruising routes – Antarctic expeditions, Southern Ocean passages and Indian Ocean islands – that will define the next era of luxury yachting.
“We sit at the intersection of three oceans, with more than 30,000 commercial and tourism vessels passing the Cape annually,” Blaine added. “Our marine services sector is mature, our crew training facilities are internationally recognised and our tourism infrastructure rivals any global destination. What we’ve lacked is purpose-built berthing that matches the operational standards captains expect.”
