The Mediterranean faces a structural berth bottleneck in 2026: the Global Order Book 2026 shows record average length under construction, with yard slots already committed through 2028-2029, while the Balearic Islands have tightened anchoring enforcement since June, logging 181,468 interventions in 2025 alone — a 40% year-on-year rise. Fewer yachts are joining the fleet, but each one takes up more berth length.
Summary
- The order book: fewer units, more length
- Anchoring space is tightening too
- How much fleet the Med absorbs in September
- What it means for anyone booking in 2026
- FAQ
The order book: fewer units, more length
Boat International's Global Order Book 2026, published 11 December 2025 from a survey of 190 shipyards across five continents, reveals a counterintuitive figure: the number of yachts of 24 metres or more under construction fell from 1,138 to 1,093 — a roughly 4% drop in unit count — even as average length and tonnage under construction hit record highs, with yard slots already committed through 2028-2029.
Italy accounts for 52% of that market (568 yachts, 240,560 GT), up two percentage points on the prior edition. Azimut|Benetti Group tops the builder ranking for a 26th consecutive year, with 163 units under construction totalling 5,924 metres — roughly 23% of the global market — followed by Sanlorenzo (including Nautor Swan), with 130 yachts and 4,698 metres. Fewer boats, but bigger ones: each takes up more linear metres of quay once it reaches the Mediterranean.
| Global Order Book metric | 2025 edition | 2026 edition |
|---|---|---|
| Yachts 24m+ under construction | 1,138 | 1,093 |
| Italy's market share | 50% | 52% (568 yachts, 240,560 GT) |
| Yard slots committed | — | through 2028-2029 |
| Builder ranking leader | Azimut|Benetti | Azimut|Benetti (26th year) |
Anchoring space is tightening too
On the water, space has tightened as well. The 2026 Posidonia protection scheme in the Balearics puts nine patrol boats in the field — five in Formentera, four in Ibiza — within a 20-vessel network, backed by AIS tracking and digital anchoring maps, running from 1 June through 10 October.
The reason for the tighter enforcement is in the 2025 numbers: 181,468 recorded interventions, a 40% year-on-year rise, with a 6.4% illegal-anchoring rate — the lowest since the programme began, but still concentrated in the highest-pressure zones, including Sant Antoni Bay, Porroig and Talamanca. Less free anchoring area means more competition for approved positions, right at the season's peak.
How much fleet the Med absorbs in September
The scale of the problem becomes clearer when looking at the two biggest events on the 2025 European calendar. The Cannes Yachting Festival 2025 drew more than 600 international exhibitors and over 700 yachts from 5 to 50 metres across the Vieux Port and Port Canto, closing with more than 55,000 visitors and 103 world or show debuts. Two weeks later, the Monaco Yacht Show 2025 gathered 116 superyachts at Port Hercule and closed with 29,956 visitors over four days, with 69 yachts officially listed for sale worth a combined $2.9 billion.
Those figures — from a single stretch of coastline, in a matter of weeks — give a real sense of how much fleet the Mediterranean absorbs every September, against a berth supply that isn't growing at the same rate.
What it means for anyone booking in 2026
The combination of yard slots booked through 2028-2029, bigger yachts entering the water, and tighter anchoring enforcement in the Balearics all points the same way: anyone who waits to book a marina berth or an anchoring slot during Mediterranean high season finds fewer alternatives with each passing year. The pattern already established for the 2026 European season is to book months, not weeks, ahead.
Data in this article current as of July 2026.
FAQ
Why is there a berth shortage in the Mediterranean in 2026? Because berth supply is not growing at the same pace as the fleet. The Global Order Book 2026 shows record average length and tonnage under construction, with yard slots committed through 2028-2029, while free anchoring space around the Balearics has been under tighter enforcement since June 2026.
Is the number of yachts under construction rising or falling? In unit count, it's falling: from 1,138 to 1,093 yachts of 24 metres or more, according to the Global Order Book 2026. But average length and total tonnage under construction hit record highs, meaning the yachts being built are, on average, larger than before.
Which shipyards lead yacht construction today? Azimut|Benetti Group leads for a 26th consecutive year, with 163 units and 5,924 metres of total length — around 23% of the market. Sanlorenzo, including Nautor Swan, ranks second with 130 yachts and 4,698 metres, according to the Global Order Book 2026.
What changed with Balearic anchoring rules in 2026? Since 14 June, nine patrol boats have operated within a 20-vessel network around Ibiza and Formentera, backed by AIS tracking and digital anchoring maps, covering 1 June through 10 October — a response to a 40% rise in recorded interventions in 2025.
How many yachts pass through the Mediterranean in September? In 2025, the Cannes Yachting Festival drew more than 700 yachts and 55,000 visitors, and the Monaco Yacht Show drew 116 superyachts and nearly 30,000 visitors over four days — the two events combined give a sense of the fleet volume concentrated in the Mediterranean within a few weeks.
Until when are shipyard slots booked? Through 2028-2029, according to the Global Order Book 2026, published in December 2025 based on a survey of 190 shipyards across five continents. That means the pipeline of new yachts entering the water is already visible several years out.
Does Italy dominate global yacht construction? Yes. Italy accounts for 52% of the global construction market — 568 yachts totalling 240,560 GT — up two percentage points on the prior Global Order Book edition, cementing the country's position as the industry's principal building hub.
How does this affect anyone planning a Mediterranean charter in 2026? It means booking further ahead. With less free anchoring space and marinas more contested by an increasingly large-yacht fleet, the pattern already standard among operators is to lock in itinerary and vessel months, not weeks, in advance.
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To plan a Mediterranean itinerary around this tighter berth reality, see also The Brazilian in the Mediterranean: Why the Bridge Is Opening Now, The 2026 Mediterranean Season: Prices, Berths and the Booking Window, September in the Mediterranean: Why Shoulder Season Gained Status, The Charter Market in Numbers and June in the Mediterranean: The 2026 Season Opens. For charter in Brazil, see voguer.com.br; for international fleet and destinations, voguer.yachts.