Dubai: Dubai’s dearth of berthing spots could hurt its ability to attract large vessels, prompting some in the boating industry to call for higher investment in marina infrastructure.

“I think it’s a good idea to increase berths. You need a critical mass of marinas and berths if you want to have yachts coming,” said Antoine Brugidou, chief executive of French boat builder Iguana Yachts, at the Dubai International Boat Show, which kicked off on Tuesday.

There are more than 3,000 berths in Dubai, but boat manufacturers and dealers said those are not enough, which could deter some people from buying yachts like in previous years.

”There is a need for new marinas and berths in Dubai. Right now, if you have a boat of a substantial size — a 30-40 metre yacht — you can’t find any berth. Nine years ago, when I arrived in Dubai, the boat dealers would not sell boats because people would say if I buy a yacht what do I do with it? Where do I put it? Then new marinas came, enabling people to sell yachts because there were berths available. Now, we are again in a phase where there are not enough berths available,” said Bruno Meier, chief operating officer and head of marina management at Art Marine, a yacht dealership and marina operator in the UAE.

Echoing Meier’s views, Tarek Khalil, managing director of Italian shipyard Sanlorenzo, said, a lot of people in the UAE are interested in buying boats but are concerned about where to place them.

The lack of berths in the emirate has led some boat owners to turn to other emirates.

“Now, for [yachts] 80 feet and above, you don’t have any berths in Dubai. You have to go to Abu Dhabi,” said Francesco Pitea, chief executive of yacht dealer SF Yachts.

However, new developments like Deira Islands, the World Islands and Dubai Canal are expected to meet demand for more berths in Dubai.

“The berthing availability has become a little bit of a bottleneck... but the shorelines have increased tremendously. With the opening of the Canal connecting Jaddaf and the Creek to the main sea from Business Bay, I think this will really [allow] people to use boats more often, provided that they have sufficient berths alongside,” said Gregor Stinner, chief executive of Art Marine.

Creating more berths has benefits for the economy and the wider public, and not just for boat owners, industry experts said.

“It creates employment, people who are consuming and tourism,” said Iguana Yachts’ Brugidou.

The Dubai International Boat Show runs until March 7 at the Dubai International Marine Club — Mina Seyahi. It is open to the public, with an admission fee of Dh60.