The Mediterranean's 2026 summer season opens in June with the yacht industry running close to capacity. Sanlorenzo's order backlog stood at EUR 1.7 billion as of September 2025, 90 percent already sold to end clients, while Denison Yachting recorded 470 yachts of 24 metres or more sold in 2025, up 19.9 percent year-on-year. A new regulatory cost also took effect in January.
Contents
- An industry running close to capacity
- The new cost: EU ETS from 2026
- June as the Mediterranean's hinge month
- The global wealth backdrop
- The Brazil connection
- FAQ
An industry running close to capacity
Financial results published in late 2025 show shipyards entering 2026 with full order books. Sanlorenzo closed the first nine months of 2025 with net revenue of EUR 690.1 million (up 3.2 percent), an order backlog of EUR 1.7 billion — 90 percent already sold to end clients — and new order intake up 18.4 percent. Ferretti Group reported revenue of EUR 887 million over the same period (up 2.5 percent), a backlog up 12.9 percent to EUR 1.5 billion, and its superyacht segment growing 29.5 percent.
On the brokerage side, Denison Yachting closed 2025 with 470 yachts of 24 metres or more sold globally, up 19.9 percent from 392 in 2024, at an average deal size of roughly USD 8.49 million. Boat International's Global Order Book 2026 counted 1,093 yachts of 24 metres or more on order or under construction, with build slots at leading yards already committed through 2028-2029 — a direct measure of scarce capacity that predates any conversation about marina berths.
The new cost: EU ETS from 2026
As of January 1, 2026, vessels above 5,000 GT calling at European ports must cover 70 percent of their verified 2025 emissions under the EU's Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), up from 40 percent of 2024 emissions covered in 2025 — the first allowance-surrender deadline already passed on September 30, 2025. Coverage rises to 100 percent in 2027.
Context matters here: 5,000 GT is a high bar. DreAMBoat, the 111-metre superyacht Oceanco delivered in November 2025, was registered at 4,550 GT, below the threshold. In practice, the rule today mainly reaches commercial shipping and the small number of commercially registered megayachts that exceed that size, not most of the Mediterranean charter fleet — but its reach widens with each step of the phase-in.
June as the Mediterranean's hinge month
The season opens days after the close of the seventh Salone Nautico di Venezia, held May 26-30 at the Arsenale, which organizers said drew 270 exhibitors and 300 boats. The spring awards calendar was equally busy: the World Superyacht Awards 2026, held in Venice, named Breakthrough (Feadship's 118.8-metre hydrogen fuel-cell superyacht) Motor Yacht of the Year and Aquarius (a 65-metre Royal Huisman) Sailing Yacht of the Year.
The next confirmed date on the European calendar is the Cannes Yachting Festival 2026, set for September 8-13 at the Vieux Port and Port Canto — leaving the Mediterranean a full summer of cruising between the two events, with no other major show yet confirmed for the region in between.
The global wealth backdrop
Knight Frank's Wealth Report 2026, published April 23, devoted a section to superyachts and private jets as markers of wealth mobility among the global ultra-wealthy — part of the backdrop supporting demand for both charter and ownership. A year earlier, UBS's Global Wealth Report 2025 had already recorded global wealth growth of 4.6 percent in 2024.
The Brazil connection
Brazilian buyers and charter clients enter this season coming from a domestic market that is itself running hot. The São Paulo Boat Show 2025, Latin America's largest indoor nautical event, closed its September edition with more than 750 boats sold, up 7.1 percent in closed deals over the prior edition. That same audience is the one Voguer's international coverage tracks as it gradually extends its horizon toward a Mediterranean summer charter.
| Indicator | Value | Reference period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanlorenzo order backlog | EUR 1.7bn (90% pre-sold) | 9M 2025 | Sanlorenzo |
| Ferretti Group order backlog | EUR 1.5bn (+12.9%) | 9M 2025 | Ferretti Group |
| Yachts 24m+ sold (Denison) | 470 units (+19.9%) | full year 2025 | Denison Yachting |
| Global order book | 1,093 yachts 24m+ | Global Order Book 2026 | Boat International |
| EU ETS maritime coverage | 70% of 2025 emissions | from Jan 1, 2026 | DNV |
FAQ
Why is the 2026 season described as "dear and tight" already in June? Because the public indicators available at the start of the year — record order backlogs at Sanlorenzo and Ferretti Group, a 19.9 percent jump in brokerage sales reported by Denison, and shipyard build slots already committed through 2028-2029 — show an industry with little slack even before the July-August peak.
Is EU ETS already raising Mediterranean charter prices? Directly, it still touches relatively few vessels: the rule applies to ships above 5,000 GT, a size most charter yachts, even large ones, do not reach. Since January 2026, those vessels must cover 70 percent of their verified 2025 emissions, rising to 100 percent in 2027, so the rule's reach grows every year.
What already happened on the European calendar before June? The Salone Nautico di Venezia, held May 26-30 at the Arsenale, and the World Superyacht Awards 2026, held in Venice in early May, which named Breakthrough (Feadship) and Aquarius (Royal Huisman) yacht of the year in their categories. Both took place before the season formally opened in June.
What is the next major date after June? The Cannes Yachting Festival 2026, confirmed for September 8-13 at the Vieux Port and Port Canto. No other major Mediterranean boat show has been confirmed for the months between June's opening and that September date.
Do Italian yards still have open production slots? Very few in the short term. The Global Order Book 2026 recorded build slots at leading yards already committed through 2028-2029, with Italy accounting for 52 percent of the global order book for yachts over 24 metres — a sign of tight capacity even for a buyer ordering new today.
How does the Brazilian market connect to this season? The São Paulo Boat Show 2025 closed with more than 750 boats sold, up 7.1 percent over the prior edition — evidence of a hot domestic market. That same pool of Brazilian buyers and charter clients is gradually extending its horizon toward the Mediterranean as a summer destination, a theme Voguer tracks in its international coverage.
Is there an official figure for how much Mediterranean charter rates rose in 2026? Not as of this article's publication. No benchmark report with a specific day-rate percentage for the 2026 season had been published. The indicators available instead describe industry demand and capacity — order backlogs, yacht sales and build-slot availability — which this article compiles.
Tracking the season
Voguer continues covering the European season through 2026, watching berth availability and the calendar of events linking the Mediterranean and Brazil.
Read also: The 2026 European Season Begins: What Changed in Price and Availability · The 2026 Mediterranean Season: Prices, Berths and the Booking Window · The Mediterranean Season Opens: How Summer Charter Really Works · The Brazilian in the Mediterranean: Why the Bridge Is Opening Now · The Caribbean After Melissa: How the 2025/26 Season Reorganized
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