Amid the hum of electric routers, Tarek Rassas watches craftsmen put the finishing touches to a luxury catamaran destined to sail from Tunisia soon to a wealthy buyer abroad.
Rassas' boatyard in the northern port city of Bizerte is part of a fast-growing yacht building and pleasure boat industry in Tunisia, which is trying to leverage its skilled workforce, competitive costs and proximity to Europe to take advantage of rising global demand for luxury vessels.
While few may be able to afford the yachts in Tunisia itself, where average wages are just a few hundred dollars a month, exports have grown rapidly over the past decade to around €500 million ($558 million) last year, the North African country's trade association says.
Rassas says his business, founded by his father three decades ago to build small pleasure boats, now produces 10 yachts a year, catamarans and smaller yachts, which sell for up to €400,000 each.
He employs around 60 people.
"It is always very satisfying to see these models being launched into the water, after a great deal of work having been done beforehand," Rassas said. "It's like watching your child set sail."
Tunisia's yacht building sector as a whole has grown to about 75 companies, from around 20 a decade ago, Montassar Dhiaf, head of Tunisia's Marine Industries Association, the trade association, told Reuters.
Many of these are now Tunisian-owned and operated, unlike previously when foreign firms were more dominant, he said.
Dhiaf says foreign expertise, particularly from Italian firms, helped transfer technology and develop local skills, enabling Tunisian companies to move from making components to building and exporting complete yachts.
"Tunisian companies can now handle the entire process, from design and manufacturing to outfitting and after-sales services," Dhiaf said.
Yacht makers in Menzel Jemil near Bizerte also provided some of the components for Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo's luxury superyacht, he said.
French yacht makers, including the Beneteau Group, operate in Tunisia as well, and the sector aims to double its exports by 2030, which could boost foreign currency reserves and create jobs, Dhiaf said.
He called on the government to provide support, establish training centres and offer tax incentives to make Tunisian companies even more competitive.
Rassas said his own business – currently spread across five boatyards – aims to double output and expand production of luxury catamarans, which can take two months or more to build.
Models range in length from seven to 25 metres (23-82 feet), Rassas said.
One 11-metre model currently being built will feature three cabins and reach speeds of 25 knots, he added.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Alexander Dziadosz and Susan Fenton)