All aboard! Investor pleasantly surprised by support from Jamaica as he seeks to establish US$25-m boatyard locally

Denton Douglas is pleasantly surprised by the support he has received from the Jamaican Government and private entities as he moves to set up Monarch Yachts locally. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

After spending the last 20 years building luxury yachts and other boats in China and Turkey, Jamaican American businessman Denton Douglas decided to set up shop in Jamaica with a US$25-million investment. However, he had two concerns — red tape and the availability of skilled labour.

But those anxieties have been eased by the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce; Jampro; and Caribbean Maritime University (CMU).

“Thanks to [Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Senator] Aubyn Hill — he has been very, very good — and his department. I spoke to Jampro and they have been very, very responsive… They have been there for whatever I need to get that done,” Douglas told the Jamaica Observer as he detailed plans to bring his company, Monarch Yachts, to the country.

According to Douglas, the plan is to establish a facility to build luxury yachts, commercial boats, ferries, and military boats in Jamaica.

To do this Monarch will need a special economic zone (SEZ) designation and a site to establish a boatyard, but Douglas said that is well under sail.

“The key thing is to secure the site and get the zone set up, because we’ll be exporting. We want to bring in foreign currency and so, we want to be able to import, for now, everything; and that’s the job of Jampro,” explained Douglas.

He said the issue of a skilled workforce is also being addressed and, while Monarch will take Jamaicans to its plant in Turkey for training, it needs a facility in Jamaica to also train the myriad workers that a boatbuilding facility will need.

Source: Jamaica Observer