Porto Montenegro
Porto Montenegro is a luxury yacht marina and adjacent waterfront development under construction in Tivat, Montenegro.
The construction site was a naval shipyard named Arsenal, which fell into disuse after the breakup of Yugoslavia and the decline of the Yugoslav Navy. The lot on which the shipyard is situated was put on public offering in 2006, and was bought by Canadian businessman Peter Munk. It was acknowledged in 2008 that he was not alone in the venture - while Munk owns 54% of the Porto Montenegro company, the rest is owned by Oleg Deripaska, Nathaniel Rothschild, Jacob Rothschild, Bernard Arnault, Sandor Demijan and Anthony Munk.
Munk announced that he intends to build a luxury yacht marina and a waterfront community, which would cater to needs of growing community of superyacht owners. The position of Tivat in the secluded part of the Bay of Kotor, together with the proximity of Tivat Airport, makes it favourable location for a marina.
The marina will have berths for 650 yachts, 150 of them super yachts, up to 150m long. These will be part of a full-service community of luxury apartments, shops, restaurants and other sports and entertainment amenities.
Porto Montenegro is a phased development: there are now 185 marina berths, five mixed-use buildings containing 130 luxury residences, over 20 retail outlets, a full sports facility, yacht club, 64 meter infinity pool and lounge bar, a naval heritage museum, and a waterfront hotel.
Projects related to Porto Montenegro include an 18-hole golf course in the vicinity of Tivat Airport, and a possible acquisition of Bijela shipyard by Peter Munk, which could serve as a yacht maintenance facility.
Following an international architectural competition, ReardonSmith Architects was appointed to master plan and design the marina and residential community of Porto Montenegro. The firm's proposal claims to respect both the local architectural inheritance and the natural habitat in building the new resort. The firm was partially inspired by the work of American urban planner Kevin Lynch.
Virtually all the existing structures were demolished and their materials crushed to form aggregate. Construction is predominantly in local stone, with roofing in terracotta and clay tiles.
The Marina
The marina opened with 85 berths in summer 2009, and has since grown to the current capacity of 450 berths (127 for superyachts). Following the completion of the recent expansion, in July 2015, the marina can now accommodate the largest yachts in the world, with berths up to 250m in size. A total of 850 berths have been planned by project completion, of which 311 will be for yachts over 24m - the largest offering for superyachts in the Mediterranean.
The marina provides various services:
- customs and immigration
- duty and tax-free fuel
- single and 3-phase electricity
- wireless internet
- 24-hour security
- laundry facilities
- refuse/grey & black water disposal
- full provisioning
Marina Benefits , Facilities and Accessibility
The marina is situated within southern Europe’s deepest fjord. Berth depths range from 4.5 to 16 metres.
The marina offers mooring facilities to homeport vessels as well as those navigating Montenegro’s waters on a temporary vignette. On-site duty-free fuelling and 24-hour Yacht Assist will soon be complemented by a nearby superyacht refit and repair facility. The refit and maintenance facility is expected to be operational by 2016.
Other onsite facilities include yacht sale and charter brokers, chandlery with comprehensive logistics, safety and engineering, full provisioning, multi-lingual marina team, 24hr manned and CCTV security, plus tax free wine, champagne and spirits.
Yacht Club
The Porto Montenegro Yacht Club was established in 2010.
For the 2015 season, the PMYC moved to the newly refurbished €7million pool club, formerly known as Lido.
Entry Permits
Porto Montenegro became an official port of entry in summer 2010, allowing customers to complete customs clearance hassle-free. Vessels must purchase a vignette (permit) to use Montenegro’s navigable waters which allows unlimited access from one week up to one year. Unlimited vignettes may be issued in any single year, each allowing the captain to change the crew and guest manifest multiple times.
Residences
The first six residential buildings, Teuta, Zeta, Ozana, Milena, Tara and Ksenija encompass 180 residential units and 3800sqm of retail space (over 55 units). All of the apartments sold out in September 2015.
The Regent Porto Montenegro Hotel and Residences opened August 1st 2014, offering 58 hotel rooms and residences, including two penthouse suites.
Regent Pool Club Residences, the latest addition to Porto Montenegro’s residential collection, were released for sale January 2015. The building will offer 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments.
Nautical Village
Shops and restaurants
Each residential building complex contains shops and restaurants on its ground floor. These businesses include chandleries, fashion boutiques, waterfront cafés, bars and restaurants. Summer seasons include a selection of international temporary or ‘pop-up’ shops such as swimwear brand Heidi Klein and London concept store Wolf & Badger.
Lido Mar Pool
This 64m infinity edge pool and lounge bar cantilevered over the sea was designed by Richard Hywel Evans and features a 3m-high Jaume Plensa sculpture entitled ‘8 Possibilities’.
Regent Hotel
Porto Montenegro's five-star Regent Hotel with serviced apartments on the marina village waterfront opened August 2014. The Regent Porto Montenegro's building and gardens are built in the style of the grand palazzos of the Italian lakes.
Naval Heritage Collection
The Naval Heritage Collection showcases over 300 artifacts, from rare, fully restored, Yugoslavian submarines to the diaries of Princess Xenia. A selection of items is on show from the original Arsenal, established over one hundred years ago as an Austro-Hungarian, and subsequently, Yugoslav naval base.
Knightsbridge International School
An international school exists to serve the community of expatriate residents of Porto Montenegro. The school was developed in partnership with Knightsbridge Schools International, a London-based school group. The school provides the International Baccalaureate programme within the Porto Montenegro facility. It is the first boarding school in Montenegro, mainly serving foreign residents.
Construction
Porto Montenegro has transformed an unused commercial yard into a marina. Before construction Adriatic Marinas spent millions of Euros on seabed and land remediation, working with consultants such as Arup and Mace Group. To date, construction has involved the following practices:
- Sea bed and land remediation
- Cavity wall insulation to regulate heat
- Thermal window units to reduce the need for heating and cooling
- Ferrying materials by water to reduce impact on local roads
- The development of nautical access, air links and a fast ferry service between coastal towns has eased the burden on roads in the Boka Kotorska region
- Porto Montenegro is the only marina in the region to provide black and grey water and oil disposal services
- Daily removal of floating plastic and general refuse from around the Bay
- Built pump-out infrastructure for every berth
- Collect and treat through storm water oil separators
- A ban on fishing has been enforced in the marina area so that natural marina life can keep the waters clean
Porto Montenegro has become a member of Sustain Worldwide, a membership organisation composed of the world’s leading sustainable residential and leisure tourism developers and professionals.
External links
Coordinates: 42°26′08″N 18°41′51″E / 42.43556°N 18.69750°E