ART Marine sets up an office and operations in Qatar with the NBK Group

The announcement was made on the 7th of May 2008 during a glossy event, held at Ritz-Carlton's premium Marina club, hosting some of Doha's most notable high profile individuals.

The Gala gathering witnessed a roll-down of dazzling performances surrounded by a surreal marine and sailing ambiance. A world-class Jazz Band complimented the event with a selection of the finest songs followed by an astounding mix of laser and water screen displays showcasing the best of ART Marine and its new offices in Qatar. Sheikh Nawaf and the guests then headed to the berth to launch the yachts and were taken on an informative tour by senior members of the ART Marine team.

Due to the increasing requirements in the marine industry for luxury yachts, ART Marine LLC, the Leading Marine Hospitality Company in the Middle East, was established to cater to the needs of the most demanding customers in the Middle East.

As regional pioneers, ART Marine LLC was founded in February 2005 to identify and meet the needs of marine enthusiasts by providing the necessary sales, maintenance, warranty, jetty, management, charter, marina management and consultation services and representing the top Italian and International quality luxury yacht brands. With its team of industry professionals, ART Marine LLC has rapidly become the leading regional distributor of leisure yachts and the exclusive importer and distributor of the Azimut-Benetti and Riviera groups for Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Seychelles and United Arab Emirates.

The management team at ART Marine LLC has more than 30 years of experience in the luxury marine business with Azimut-Benetti group in Europe, as well as in the Middle East and Indian Sub-Continent. The ART Marine LLC team is made up of highly specialized, motivated and passionate people, with wide regional and international experience.

ART Marine LLC is also the exclusive dealer in the GCC countries for Monte Carlo Marine speed boats -which are manufactured in Dubai - and for two other renowned sailing brands, Grand Soleil for cruising and Stompcraft sailing boats for racing. Furthermore, in 2005 ART Marine LLC acquired the rights to distribute the world famous Australian fishing / flybridge convertible brand, Riviera, in order to meet the growing demand for quality fishing boats in the region.

ART Marine is looking at consolidating its position in Qatar through a strategic partnership with NBK.

Speaking at the event were Sheikh Nawaf Nasser Bin Khaled Al Thani, Chairman and CEO of Nasser Bin Khaled and Captain Alessio Tumbiolo, CEO of ART Marine.

Sheikh Nawaf said:

'When we look for partners, we go to great extents to screen out the greatest in investment, innovation, customer satisfaction and luxury opportunities. Venturing into the marine industry, we needed prominent experts to help us offer world-class products and services to our marine-savvy community; we found all these corporate characteristics perfectly embodied in ART Marine. We're confident that this new relationship would set an unparalleled benchmark in the industry raising the standards, understanding and approach towards managing this business.'

Captain Alessio Tumbiolo said: 'After the success of the already existing Dubai and El Gouna (Egypt) offices, we have found in Nasser Bin Khaled the perfect partner to run our marine operations in Qatar. The ART Marine office in Doha is now fully operational, thanks to the team of experts we have appointed and thanks to the fleet of yachts we have brought in to the region. We really look forward to a highly successful future there, with the NBK Group as partner.'

With a goal of being the only Marine Hospitality Company in the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa with a '360 degrees' approach to luxury yachts services, ART Marine LLC opened its Marina Development and Management Division in early 2007. The concept is to operate a network of 'lifestyle' marinas, offering first class services to cater for the needs of the most demanding yacht owners.

With the exclusive agreement reached with the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, ART Marine Charter Division has been successfully operating since 1 March 2006. ART Marine Charter Division offers various itineraries such as romantic dinners, corporate lunches, team building trips, sight-seeing trips to the Jumeirah Palm and the World islands, and many more pleasurable and memorable sightseeing cruises, assuring complete privacy and confidentiality.

ART Marine offers state-of-the-art after-sales services through a separate division staffed by dedicated technical experts who satisfy the uncompromising standards of their customers. The Service Division offers skilled know-how and full service support facilities for its luxury brands and its related accessories such as Idromar water makers, Navisystem sattelite TV and telecommunication systems, Normic fishing equipment, Yacht controller radio controlled yacht maneuvering device, Technoseal zinc - cathode protection, Arimar life saving equipment, Blue Marine cleaning material, Trinchero fabrics, Airberth yacht lifting devices and Quick winches and electronic items.

Nasser Bin Khaled's name has been continuously synonymous with the industry leading brands while promoting innovative investment venues. The Group has enjoyed a symbiotic partnership with some of the world's most coveted brands names in multiple sectors bringing forth a unique range of products and services that exceed the rapidly expanding expectations of its clients and prospects.