By Clara Hernanz Lizarraga May 2, 2026 – The summer yachting season is quickly filling up in the Mediterranean, although not in the locations many in the industry anticipated just a few months ago. Marinas from Barcel...
By Clara Hernanz Lizarraga
May 2, 2026 – The summer yachting season is quickly filling up in the Mediterranean, although not in the locations many in the industry anticipated just a few months ago.
Marinas from Barcelona to Mallorca and the French Riviera are preparing for a strong season. Yacht owners are shifting their plans away from the eastern Mediterranean due to increased security concerns caused by the war in Iran, which has affected one of the busiest luxury cruising areas in the world.
This change is benefiting ports in the western Mediterranean while leaving some large yachts stuck in the Gulf.
Sasha Romashova, the corporate commercial manager at Ocean Capital Partners, which manages over €1 billion ($1.2 billion) in port assets, including marinas in Málaga, Ibiza, and Seville, stated, “France, Italy, and Spain will see a very good season.”
While the Mediterranean continues to be a key summer destination for global yachts, security issues are already affecting travel plans in the region. Recent events, like a drone strike on a British air base in Cyprus and Iranian missile activity aimed at Turkey, have made yacht owners and charter clients reconsider their cruising options.
This has led to a shift toward the west. In Barcelona, the MB92 super-yacht refit yard is nearing full capacity, and its facilities in France are experiencing similar demand.
“The big unknown when the war started was whether boats would come into the Mediterranean at all,” said Txema Rubio, MB92’s commercial director. He added that the company expects revenue to increase by 5% to 10% this year. “But the boats have returned. Our shipyard is packed.”
Marinas are observing the same trends. At Club de Mar in Mallorca, which recently upgraded to accommodate larger vessels, bookings are partly driven by a sense of safety.
“It’s being considered a safe haven for these vessels,” noted José Luis Arrom, the club’s director.
The situation is more complicated in the east. Even ports in Greece are affected by the conflict, as some clients feel the country is too close to the hostilities in the Middle East, leading traditional Gulf clients to reduce their travel plans.
Some of the largest yachts in the world remain in the Gulf, with limited options for moving through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Henry Smith, a partner at the Monaco-based brokerage Cecil Wright. For these yachts, the usual seasonal move to the Mediterranean may not be possible.
“We expect that the owners of these very large boats in the Middle East will have no choice but to charter,” Smith said.
This includes high-profile vessels such as the 180-meter “Azzam” and the 146-meter “Opera,” both linked to members of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, as well as “Motor Yacht A,” a unique yacht associated with Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, who is under sanctions.
Even for those able to move freely, this summer’s cruising plans may look different. Operators expect shorter distances between stops and longer stays at fewer locations, as owners consider fuel costs along with ongoing concerns about regional security.
However, for the ultra-wealthy, fuel costs are not a major issue.
“It’s not a huge cost unless you are running a very fast, gas-guzzling yacht,” Smith mentioned. “You’re likely to spend more on champagne than on fuel.”