Karpaz Gate Marina has announced the appointment of a new Harbour Master to join its award-winning team on the Karpaz peninsula in North Cyprus.

Bahadir Gökçetekin, a qualified naval architect and marine engineer with extensive experience in boatyard work, technical repair and refit servicing, started his new role at the 2017 TYHA International Marina of the Year at the end of April. A key aspect of his duties is to use his shipyard management skills to continue to establish the Karpaz Gate Marina Boatyard as one of the leading facilities in the East Mediterranean.

Fluent in both his native Turkish and English, Gökçetekin arrives in North Cyprus after spending the last few years managing complete vessel renewal projects in Turkey, including refitting, outfitting and delivery, for a range of boats and yachts. He also has a strong background in the superyacht industry following his time as Project Manager for a yacht management and consulting company in Istanbul where he was involved in overseeing specialist mechanical and technical tasks on motoryachts and other boats.

The 44-year-old, who studied at Istanbul Technical University, takes over from previous Harbour Master Deniz Akaltan, who has filled the role for the seven-year period since Karpaz Gate Marina first opened for business in 2011. Gökçetekin joins a team of personnel that is widely praised by berth holders and visitors for creating a friendly, community-spirited atmosphere and for providing 5 Gold Anchor-standard service and attention for its clients. He strengthens the marina technical team, based at the on-site boatyard featuring a 18,000 square metre dry dock and 300-ton capacity travel hoist.

Commenting on his new role, Gökçetekin said: “I am really looking forwarded to joining such a successful marina team, meeting all of our berth holders and welcoming new friends in the coming months. With my background in engineering, I am particularly excited to get involved with managing the boatyard with its great facilities and travel lift, so I can help to ensure boatowners are getting a very reliable and comprehensive service with access to all the technical capabilities they require.

“I greatly admire the way in which Karpaz Gate Marina has opened up this beautiful area of the East Mediterranean to sailors and has so quickly become such a popular and unique homeport and destination. I feel very proud to start contributing to the continued growth and enhancement of Karpaz Gate Marina’s status as one of the Mediterranean’s premium marinas.”

The Karpaz Gate Marina Boatyard has experienced staff available to conduct and execute any scope of project, while the duty-free status at the marina provides extra benefits for clients with savings on spare parts, fuel, technical service and supplies. Regular technical work on offer at the boat yard includes hull cleaning and sanding, changing anodes, cleaning of shafts and anodes, plus the application of primer.

Liza Singer, Owner’s Representative for Karpaz Gate Marina, said: “We welcome Bahadir to our family and we are excited for him to join our commitment to Karpaz and North Cyprus. One of our main focus areas over the coming years is to continue the development of our boatyard as one of the region’s best technical centres. With this in mind, our new Harbour Master has been carefully selected for his technical and engineering expertise and project management skills. I am confident that he shares our values of providing a welcoming home and community for our clients and that he can help the team maintain our current high standards.”

With 300 berths and the capability to accommodate up to 60m vessels, Karpaz Gate Marina is renowned as a safe haven with premier berthing services for yachts and superyachts and their crew, and is also a unique Mediterranean destination. It is the perfect base from which to enjoy the relaxing surroundings and facilities of the Karpaz Peninsula and explore the stunning and historic North Cyprus region featuring ancient castles and abbeys, vibrant culture and enticing cuisine.

For more information about roles available at Karpaz Gate Marina, please call Oykun Erureten on (+90) (0)533 825 3990, or visit the ‘Jobs’ section on the website at www.karpazbay.com to view the latest vacancies or to complete a general application form. Find Karpaz Gate Marina on Twitter: @KarpazGate, Facebook: www.facebook.com/karpazgatemarina and Instagram: @karpaz_gate_marina