Key facts
- Tunisia's yacht exports reached around €500 million ($558.00 million) last year, the Marine Industries Association said.
- The sector has grown to about 75 companies from around 20 a decade ago, association head Montassar Dhiaf said.
- Tarek Rassas's Bizerte boatyard produces 10 yachts a year selling for up to €400,000 each and employs around 60 people.
- A Tunisian-built catamaran, the WAMA 42XL, won the under-45-foot power category in the 2026 Multihull of the Year awards.
- Dhiaf said the sector aims to double exports by 2030 and called for government training centers and tax incentives.
- Yacht makers in Menzel Jemil near Bizerte supplied some components for Cristiano Ronaldo's superyacht, Dhiaf said.
Tunisia's yacht building and pleasure boat industry has grown to about 75 companies from around 20 a decade ago, Montassar Dhiaf, head of Tunisia's Marine Industries Association, told Reuters. Exports reached around €500 million ($558.00 million) last year, the trade association said, as the sector draws on a skilled workforce, lower costs and proximity to Europe.
Tarek Rassas, whose boatyard in the northern port city of Bizerte was founded by his father three decades ago to build small pleasure boats, said the business now produces 10 yachts a year, catamarans and smaller yachts, selling for up to €400,000 each. He employs around 60 people across five boatyards and aims to double output and expand production of luxury catamarans, which can take two months or more to build. Models range from 7 to 25 metres (23-82 ft), he said, and one 11-metre model under construction will have three cabins and reach speeds of 25 knots.
"It is always very satisfying to see these models being launched into the water, after a great deal of work having been done beforehand," Rassas said. "It's like watching your child set sail."
Dhiaf said many of the companies are now Tunisian-owned and operated, unlike previously when foreign firms were more dominant. He said foreign expertise, particularly from Italian firms, helped transfer technology and develop local skills, enabling Tunisian companies to move from making components to building and exporting complete yachts. "Tunisian companies can now handle the entire process, from design and manufacturing to outfitting and after-sales services," he said.
A luxury catamaran, the WAMA 42XL, built by a Tunisian company, won the under-45-foot power category in the 2026 Multihull of the Year awards, which recognize the best new multihull yachts and catamarans internationally. Yacht makers in Menzel Jemil near Bizerte also provided some of the components for Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo's luxury superyacht, Dhiaf said.
French yacht makers, including the Beneteau Group, operate in Tunisia as well, and the sector aims to double its exports by 2030, which Dhiaf said could boost foreign currency reserves and create jobs. He called on the government to provide support, establish training centers and offer tax incentives to make Tunisian companies more competitive.