Monaco is the administrative centre of the superyacht industry. Port Hercule hosts the Monaco Yacht Show every September, and most of the brokerage houses that handle vessels above 50 metres keep either their headquarters or a principal office within walking distance of the harbour. Burgess, Fraser, Edmiston, YCO and Camper and Nicholsons all maintain a Monaco presence.
For an owner or prospective buyer, the practical consequence is concentration: sales brokers, charter managers, technical management teams, crew agencies and maritime lawyers operate within a few streets of one another. A 60-metre purchase can be structured, surveyed, flagged and crewed without the principal leaving the Principality.
The brokerage model is commission-based, typically 10 percent on sales split between buyer's and seller's broker, and 10 to 15 percent on charter. The distinction that matters is between a pure brokerage and a full-service house that also manages the yacht after delivery.
What to Look For in a Monaco Superyachts Professional
- Membership of MYBA (The Worldwide Yachting Association) and use of the MYBA Memorandum of Agreement for sales
- Recent closed transactions in the size bracket you are considering, not a general fleet list
- A management division if you intend to keep the yacht in commercial charter
- Clear disclosure of whether the broker also represents the seller