Burgess Says Italian Yards Hold 568 Superyachts in Build in 2026

Burgess has published an assessment of Italy’s new-build market following a tour of major shipyards including Benetti, Sanlorenzo, Riva and Overmarine. The brokerage says Italian yards continue to dominate global construction by project count and are investing in facilities and speculative builds as demand shifts toward larger and more sophisticated yachts.

Italy still accounts for more than half of global projects

Burgess cites 568 superyacht projects currently in build at Italian yards, more than half of the global order book by number of yachts. Although that is four fewer projects than the previous year, the total length under construction has increased to 22,299 metres.

The figures suggest that Italian production is not simply maintaining volume but moving toward larger average yacht sizes. That trend has implications for yard infrastructure, supplier capacity and the technical complexity of projects entering the pipeline.

Benetti and Sanlorenzo remain central to the market

The brokerage’s tour included some of the country’s best-known builders, with Azimut-Benetti continuing its long run as the world’s largest superyacht producer and Sanlorenzo holding a leading position behind it. Riva and Overmarine add different design and performance propositions within the same national ecosystem.

For buyers, this concentration creates an unusually broad range of choices within one country, from established series platforms to highly customised steel-and-aluminium projects. That depth of choice lets owners compare not only yacht types but also very different production philosophies and delivery strategies within the same national market.

Shipyards are investing ahead of future demand

Burgess notes that Italian yards are expanding facilities and increasing the capacity to build on speculation. Speculative construction can reduce delivery times for owners while allowing shipyards to keep production lines active before a final client is attached to every hull.

That strategy requires confidence in future demand, particularly because larger yachts absorb substantial capital and yard space. Continued infrastructure investment therefore provides a useful signal of how major builders view the medium-term market.

First-hand yard knowledge matters when projects look similar on paper

Burgess says visits to construction halls and meetings with shipyard teams give brokers information that cannot be captured fully in brochures and specifications. Build quality, production discipline, engineering philosophy and the degree of real customisation available can differ significantly between yards.

For Superyacht Guide readers, the broader picture is a mature Italian industry increasing the scale of what it builds while offering buyers a wide range of delivery models. Choosing between those yards depends not only on styling and price, but on how each builder’s processes match an owner’s priorities, timetable and appetite for customisation.

Official sources: www.burgessyachts.com.