The V&A Waterfront in Cape Town has announced a R230m (US$13.5m) investment in a purpose-built superyacht marina.
The Quay 7 Superyacht Marina will be located within Cape Town harbour, in front of the Cape Town Edition hotel.
Construction is scheduled for completion in October 2026. The project will expand capacity for servicing visiting vessels and support longer stays.
V&A Waterfront CEO Graham Wood says the marina responds to sustained growth in superyacht visits. “Superyacht visits have grown steadily since 2009, and we welcomed 35 vessels in the 2024/25 season alone. Many stay for extended periods – six months, sometimes a year – because Cape Town offers a unique mix: world-class tourism, reliable marine services, and access to adventure cruising routes that simply don’t exist in traditional yachting hubs.”
The marina is designed for dual use. During peak season, six stern-to berths and two beam-on berths with floating jetties will accommodate vessels of 40-90m. In the off-season, it will support commissioning and export staging for local catamaran manufacturers, including Robertson and Caine, Two Oceans Marine and Balance Catamarans.
“This isn’t only a leisure marina, it’s economic infrastructure,” says Andre Blaine, executive for marine & industrial property at V&A Waterfront. “It creates sustained demand for fuel suppliers, provisioning companies, marine engineers, crew training facilities and logistics operators. It supports local manufacturers who need berthing space for commissioning. And it positions Cape Town as a credible technical hub, not just a beautiful harbour.”
The marina forms part of a precinct expansion including the Cape Town Edition hotel, the Intercontinental Table Bay Cape Town and the East Pier Helistop.
The facility will require additional permanent staff, with indirect employment across provisioning, refuelling, marine maintenance and hospitality services. A concierge office will support vessel operations and crew.
“A superyacht visit generates exponentially more economic activity per visitor than mass tourism,” says Wood.
Blaine adds: “These vessels refuel with hundreds of thousands of litres at a time. They source fresh provisions at scale. They employ local marine contractors for repair work. The spend is substantial, the volume is manageable, and the economic benefit stays local.
“More than 30,000 vessels pass the Cape annually for trade and tourism. The cruise season has extended from seven to nine months. Marine training, repair and manufacturing sectors are already well-established. This new marina formalises what the market has been signalling for years: Cape Town belongs on the global maritime circuit,” says Blaine.
“We’re not chasing prestige. We’re responding to demonstrated demand with infrastructure that works year-round, supports local industry and strengthens Cape Town’s competitiveness. This is about building on what we already do well – and doing it better,” says Wood.
Confirmed features of Quay 7 Superyacht Marina
The scheme centres on eight berths for vessels between 30m and 90m, arranged as six stern-in and two beam-on positions, with floating jetties providing electricity, water and Wi-Fi, and access to bonded fuel supply at Elbow quay. The marina is planned to meet Gold Anchor accreditation standards and includes a concierge lounge and storage space, alongside provision for maintenance and refit activity, with links to facilities including Syncrolift and Robinson Dry Dock, and catamaran berthing outside the peak season.
The design centres on purpose-built berthing, with a stern-in configuration supported by floating infrastructure for vessels up to 90m. The location places the marina within routes linking the Atlantic, Indian and Southern Ocean, supporting voyages towards Antarctic and Southern Ocean destinations, including use as a staging point for expedition traffic and an alternative seasonal option to more congested Mediterranean marinas.
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