IMM expands into Europe with Atlantic Refit Center acquisition

International Marine Management (IMM) has acquired Atlantic Refit Center in La Rochelle, France, for an undisclosed fee. The Caribbean refit powerhouse will have expanded its operations to include ARC as of today (1 June).

It marks a poetic return to France for IMM’s Founder and COO, Fabrice Maitre. The exec brings over four decades of experience in yacht refit and repair, having handled refits on the likes of Octopus, Skat and Kogo, to name a few, but it all began with the major refit of Tatoosh in La Rochelle in 2007.

“In many ways, this expansion is a full-circle moment,” says Maitre. “France is where my career began and the Tatoosh refit in La Rochelle was a significant step in both my career and superyacht refit generally. Establishing IMM’s presence here, with such a capable facility, allows us to bring our experience, standards, and approach back to a market we know deeply.”

“Returning to Europe is a defining step for IMM,” adds Norina Edelman, CEO of IMM. “Marrying the strength of ARC’s existing infrastructure with IMM’s spirit and values will create a unique client experience in terms of flexibility, quality and transparency.”

IMM has circa 130 in-house employees with bases in Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Guadeloupe and Grenada, making it the largest refit operator servicing the yachting market in the Caribbean, with the newly acquired ARC expanding its offering to refit and repair of vessels up to 150 metres in length.

La Rochelle’s location benefits ARC with direct access through the only deep-sea port on the French Atlantic coast. With 11 metres of draft and a fully secured ISPS-compliant area, ARC features two dry docks (176 metres and 107 metres), a 250-ton travel lift, cranes up to 150 tons, 300 metres of afloat repair docks and 2,000m² of hard-standing space, providing the infrastructure necessary for large-scale refit and conversion projects.

With two decades of operational experience, the Atlantic Refit Center has proven its capabilities through several projects, including the conversion of the 71-metre Enigma XK, which was recognised at the World Superyacht Awards as “Best Refit of the Year” for its reimagining into a high-performance expedition vessel.

“The Atlantic Refit Center is a facility I know well, as several major refits have been carried out there in recent years. The two dry docks, together with the vast surrounding space, make the setup far more ‘tailor-made’ than other shipyards on the market,” explains Víctor Pérez, Global Director of IMM.

“At ARC, the entire shipyard is prepared and optimised for each client and refit project. Having a rich network of local contractors, as well as easy connectivity to Northern Europe, makes ARC particularly attractive, especially for yachts over 5,000 gross tonnes, for whom haul-out options on the market are very limited, especially in shipyards specialising in superyacht refit.”

The experienced IMM team will oversee shipyard operations. In terms of the executive handover, Stéphane Marcelli, Co-Founder and outgoing President of ARC, will remain involved in daily operations to ensure a smooth transition, though the duration of this arrangement has not been confirmed.

“I am thrilled to see ARC passing into such capable hands. Norina and Fabrice share our commitment to a customised, flexible, and trusted approach to superyacht refit,” says Marcelli.

“Fabrice and IMM’s return to La Rochelle marks an exciting new chapter for the yard as a superyacht refit hub. The integration of ARC into the IMM group brings exactly the kind of expertise and momentum the French Atlantic superyacht sector needs to further strengthen its position internationally.”