The Middle East boating calendar has just gotten more packed, following the announcement of the Kuwait Marine Show.
The event, scheduled to take place from January 28 to 31, 2026, will take place at Khiran Marina. The Kuwait Marine Show is organized by the Kuwait International Outdoor Expo and the UCS Group Events.
Located in southern Kuwait, Al Khiran is the region’s first hybrid mall, featuring Kuwait’s largest marina with 900 berths.
The last boat show to emanate from the Gulf state was in 2019 at Kuwait Marina Mall, organized by other parties.
The first-ever boat show in Kuwait, meanwhile, was in 2007, with UAE builder Gulf Craft exhibiting 14 vessels. “’The general trend that we experienced from the Kuwaiti market was a strong interest in our larger superyachts such as the Majesty 101, whilst the younger audiences were attracted to Gulf Craft’s sports vessels such as the Oryx 36,” said Erwin Bamps, now CEO of Gulf Craft, at the time.
According to YachtFinds.com, Kuwait City has the highest concentration of registered boats among Gulf states, with over 11,000 boats. The country boasts 13 superyachts over 30 meters, according to the Superyacht Times Gulf Superyacht Market Report 2023.
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In 2024, the Ministry of Interior issued a decree requiring all marine vessels to install AIS (Automatic Identification System) devices, regardless of the vessel’s movement status.