Palmer Johnson Yachts is now to be closing down its UK yacht building site Hythe Marine Park in Hampshire. The closure of operations will bring the loss of around 110 jobs from the area. The Southampton yard saw the recent launch of the US builder’s first UK built superyacht — the 51m Sport Yacht, but this is the only yacht to be made here.
Palmer Johnson had also been planning to build a new superyacht building facility in what is the former VT shipyard in Woolston, Southampton. The relatively successful Wisconsin based private yacht builder had received planning permission to build the new yard last month which brought with it the forecast of the creation of about 800 local jobs. The Woolston site, which would have built 100 metre long luxury yachts is now also under review. Meanwhile the Hythe boatyard is to close after building just the 51m sport yacht since opening back in 2008.
The Palmer Johnson PJ 170 PJ-501 superyacht which is to be the only yacht built and launched at Solent refit Facility in Hamshire UK
Mike Kelsey, Palmer Johnson president said:
“We have decided that with the world economy as it is, along with excess capacity offered by our base in the United States at the Wisconsin Shipyard, that we would wind down the UK operations at this time and move the entire Sport yacht programme to the Palmer Johnson facility in Wisconsin,”.
There are however currently five Palmer Johnson motor yachts still under construction at their USA Sturgeon Bay facility.
