Lease Granted to San Diego Mooring Company for Mega Yacht Mooring on San Diego Bay

Thursday, 03 July 2008

The mega yacht industry is big business and San Diego Bay will soon have a spot for the luxurious vessels to dock. At the July 1 Board of Port Commissioners meeting, the Board granted a two-year lease with San Diego Mooring Company, LLC, to manage a Mediterranean mooring operation.

Mediterranean mooring is defined as a vessel docking perpendicular to the pier as opposed to beside it. It is commonly used in European harbors for large yachts. The Port of San Diego voted in June 2007 to explore the possibility of providing a specialized mooring service on San Diego Bay to attract more mega yachts to San Diego. Mega yachts are generally over 100 feet in length.

The specific location includes about 213,286 square feet of water between the Grape Street piers and the San Diego Maritime Museum, just north of the B Street Pier. With the Mediterranean mooring system, the bollards already located along the Embarcadero can be used to secure the stern of the vessel while its anchor can be used to secure the bow.

San Diego Mooring Company, Inc., will conduct the trial operation for two years. The lease includes managing the mooring system and providing services to anchored vessels. Services include assisting the vessels with anchoring, loading and unloading equipment and various miscellaneous services such as arranging for car rental or taxi service for the mega yacht clients. The lease term runs from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2010.

The Port of San Diego will be issuing a Request for Proposals during the two year trial period to secure a long-term Mediterranean mooring operator.