GB49 to take on Hongkong

THE operation of large pleasure vessels has been made more difficult by the recent tax increase on diesel fuel which has pushed up prices, according to Robert Young, managing director of Autolink Asia.

He said the market, which was fairly quiet at the moment, had to be looked at in the long term.

Mr Young said his company, which was involved in sales, maintenance and servicing of boats for corporations, was promoting the GB49, a vessel which had an ocean-going range of up to 1200 kilometres. He described the GB49 as the pleasure boat industry's equivalent of the Mercedes Benz car.

The vessels, which are built in Singapore, have had only a small impact on the Hongkong market due to the fierce competition, but have had strong acceptance in the United States and Europe.