Bulgarian Elica Yard to launch first catamaran

Bulgarian shipyard Elica Yard will launch its first 50ft power catamaran this summer, and is preparing to select the design studio that will work on developing a new range of 60ft-100ft boats for its Omaya Yachts brand, according to a senior company representative. Elica CEO Kaloyan Radulov told IBI that the company is increasing its production capacities and hiring new employees.

“The yard has an infrastructure to build at least 10 boats per year. However, the team can now support only three to four units per year,” he said. “We are also ready to expand with a new shed to accommodate the building line for the larger models. The building will be 28m wide, about 200m long, and will allow for a working height of about 15m.”

Radulov said that Omaya Yachts is focused on building craft that is suitable for long-term onboard living.

“The Omaya 50 is just below 15m long, as the moorings in the Mediterranean are measured for size. Under 15m, the berth fees are lower,” he said. The catamaran has a “best-in-class beam of 8.4m which provides much larger accommodation, a salon, and a flybridge.”

It is also CE-A rated, allowing for trans-ocean voyages, Radulov said.

“With the Omaya 50, you have space for the big master cabin, two guest cabins, and up to two crew cabins. Having crew cabins is great for extra guests and for resale value,” according to the company representative.

Elica’s shipyard is located in Silistra, on the Danube River in northeast Bulgaria.

“This is a strategic location which gives us the opportunity to deliver globally, navigating from Silistra to Constanta in Romania through the manmade canal from Cherna Voda directly to Constanta, then through the Black Sea and the Bosphorus to the Mediterranean,” Radulov said.

The Bulgarian business spent 2023 preparing the required tooling, including plugs and moulds, for its 50ft catamaran model. The company also worked on several other projects which helped Elica Yard train its production teams, and implementing a number of research and development design improvements to meet market requirements, Radulov said.

”[Owing] to all these efforts, we now have exclusive relationships in crucial locations such as the United States, the French Mediterranean coast, Turkey, and Bulgaria,” according to the CEO.

Asked about the builder’s market strategy for its new range of yachts, Radulov said that Elica Yard is currently planning to sell around 40% of its boats in Europe, 40% in the US, and will distribute the remainder across various emerging markets. These include countries in the Middle East and Far East.

“The first boat will be delivered in a few months to Turkey, and we are already negotiating with potential clients in the US and France. There are also potential clients who are waiting to see our boat in Turkey and place their orders,” he said.