All marina elements were designed and manufactured at Marinetek's factory in Finland in two months. The entire project was completed in a record time of less than six months with installation undertaken by a local Chinese workforce under Marinetek supervision.

The marina, which can berth vessels up to 30 m in length, has been designed to withstand winds of up to 39 m/second and has been anchored with strong steel piles. Water levels can vary by up to 4.5 m. All products were designed to meet the specific 
requirements of the customer - Nanshan Group - one of the 500 biggest companies in China. Longkou joins other world class Marinetek references in Dubai, Monaco and Florida as being totally bespoke. It also represents the company's first entry into the Chinese market, a move which is a key part of Marinetek's strategy for Asia.

"We have been following the development of the Chinese arket very closely in the last few years and updated our corporate strategy accordingly," says Ilkka Seppälä, CEO of Marinetek Group. "The original plan was not to go to China before 2012 but we decided to speed things up because we do not want to lose a share of the biggest market potential in the industry."

Henri Markus, managing director of Marinetek Marina anufacturing in Xiamen who has also moved to live in Xiamen, feels that the project has got Marinetek off to a notable and impressive start. "I have to admit that no one can believe that we really delivered concrete pontoons from Finland to China! However, these products represent top know-how that is not available from anywhere else. The completed marina is an important reference for us and a crucial first step in gaining ground in the country."

Despite this, Markus acknowledges the challenges ahead. "China is a difficult market and departs in many ways from the business model we have been used to in western countries. Bureaucracy and cultural differences make it essential to be present when decisions are made so as to ensure everything goes as planned," he explains.

Construction work on a Marinetek production plant in Xiamen - a logical central location in China - is to start as soon as the company has been granted the necessary authorisations.