International Marine Management (IMM) announced it acquired the Atlantic Refit Center (ARC) in La Rochelle, France, on Monday. With 130 in-house employees and bases in Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Guadeloupe, and Grenada, IMM is now expanding its operations to Europe. The Atlantic Refit Center is dedicated to refit and repair of superyachts up to 150 meters in length.
“Returning to Europe is a defining step for IMM,” said Norina Edelman, CEO of IMM. “Marrying the strength of ARC’s existing infrastructure with IMM’s spirit and values will create a unique client experience in terms of flexibility, quality, and transparency. We are excited to operate a European shipyard that will allow us to give every client a bespoke experience.”
ARC benefits from direct, 24/7 access through the only deep-sea port on the French Atlantic coast and includes 11 meters of draft and a fully secured ISPS-compliant area. The refit center also features two dry docks (176 and 107 meters), a 250-ton travel lift, cranes up to 150 tons, 300 meters of afloat repair docks, and 2,000 m² of hard-standing space.
“In many ways, this expansion is a full-circle moment,” said Fabrice Maitre, IMM’s founder and COO. “France is where my career began, and the Tatoosh refit in La Rochelle was a significant step in both my career and superyacht refit generally. Establishing IMM’s presence here, with such a capable facility, allows us to bring our experience, standards, and approach back to a market we know deeply.”
Bringing more than four decades of experience in yacht refit and repair, including refits on well-known yachts such as Octopus, Skat, and Kogo, Maitre brings an experienced IMM team with him. The IMM team will oversee shipyard operations, ensuring projects are delivered on schedule and to the highest quality, providing robust planning, transparent workflows, and strict quality control systems. Each client will have their project specifically tailored to them and given the small number of projects at a time, will be given a boutique experience.
“The Atlantic Refit Center is a facility I know well, as several major refits have been carried out there in recent years. The two dry docks, together with the vast surrounding space, make the setup far more ‘tailor-made’ than other shipyards on the market,” said Víctor Pérez, IMM’s global director. “At ARC, the entire shipyard is prepared and optimized for each client and refit project. Having a rich network of local contractors, as well as easy connectivity to Central Europe, makes ARC particularly attractive, especially for yachts over 5,000 tons, for whom haul-out options on the market are very limited, especially in shipyards specializing in superyacht refit.”
With 20 years of experience, ARC has proven its capabilities through several projects such as the conversion of the 71-meter M/Y Enigma XK, which was recognized as the “Best Refit of the Year” at the World Superyacht Awards.
“I am thrilled to see ARC passing into such capable hands. Norina & Fabrice share our commitment to a customized, flexible, and reliable approach to superyacht refit. Fabrice and IMM’s return to La Rochelle marks an exciting new chapter for the yard as a superyacht refit hub,” said Stephane Marcelli, co-founder and outgoing president of ARC. Marcelli will remain involved in operations to ensure a smooth transition. “The integration of ARC into the IMM group brings exactly the kind of expertise and momentum the French Atlantic superyacht sector needs to further strengthen its position internationally.”
