Port Nimara, located on Anguilla’s southwest coast, is set to become the island’s first superyacht marina, offering luxury amenities and exclusive accommodation.
Situated between Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel on Maunday’s Bay, and Altamer on Shoal Bay West, the development will feature 118 boat berths, a five-star hotel, and beachfront villas.
The multi-million dollar marina is currently in the early excavation phase, with construction of the hotel and villas planned to begin in 2026.
To find out more, Anguilla Focus spoke with David Mizrahi, CEO of SF Investments and Port Nimara, about the vision behind the project, local economic empowerment, and environmental stewardship.
What inspired the creation of Port Nimara, and why was Anguilla chosen as its location?
The inspiration for Port Nimara stems from our recognition of Anguilla as an untapped maritime jewel in the Caribbean.
When we conducted our strategic analysis of the region, it became clear that there was an island of exceptional natural beauty and optimal marine conditions, yet critically under served by maritime infrastructure.
Anguilla’s positioning is simply unmatched – 26 nautical miles from Saint Barthélemy’s prestigious Gustavia and a mere 11 nautical miles from Sint Maarten’s international airport.
This creates unprecedented accessibility for discerning international travellers and the global superyacht community.
What really made the difference was Anguilla’s extraordinary natural harbour characteristics, ideally suited for accommodating the world’s most impressive superyachts, combined with our opportunity to establish Port Nimara between two of the Caribbean’s most distinguished properties – Cap Juluca and Altamer.
We saw the potential to create not merely another marina, but a transformative maritime destination that would redefine luxury yachting in the Caribbean whilst fundamentally advancing Anguilla’s economic trajectory for decades to come.
How do you envision this project transforming Anguilla’s tourism and maritime landscape?
Port Nimara represents nothing short of a paradigm shift for Anguilla’s economic and tourism ecosystem.
We’re creating something that will genuinely drive economic growth, generating approximately 700 employment opportunities spanning marina operations, luxury hospitality, retail, and ancillary services.
This positions Anguilla definitively as the Caribbean’s premier international maritime tourism destination, fundamentally elevating global perceptions of this remarkable island.
Our transformation strategy extends well beyond the immediate development footprint.
Port Nimara has been conceived to integrate seamlessly with Anguilla’s infrastructure evolution, including the critical airport expansion extending the runway to 7,800 feet with a state-of-the-art VIP FBO terminal.
This makes it very easy for people to get to Anguilla, by private aviation and direct commercial services from major international hubs.
The outcome will establish a new gold standard for luxury maritime destinations throughout the Caribbean, attracting substantial international investment that will benefit Anguilla’s entire economic landscape for generations.
Can you describe the intended experience for yacht owners, hotel guests and villa residents once the development is complete?
Port Nimara has been meticulously designed to deliver an extraordinary luxury experience where every component operates in perfect synergy.
For superyacht owners, we’re providing 118 berths capable of accommodating vessels up to 245+ feet, underpinned by full-service support including streamlined customs and immigration processing, full-spectrum maintenance capabilities, and sophisticated security protocols.
This ensures yacht owners experience seamless arrival and departure whilst maintaining absolute confidence in their vessel’s care and security.
The Port Nimara experience transcends traditional marina boundaries.
Our 62-key five-star hotel, operated under a distinguished New York luxury hospitality brand, delivers world-class service standards for guests seeking to immerse themselves in Anguilla’s beauty without compromising on international luxury expectations.
For those desiring deeper connection to this Caribbean paradise, we’re developing 36 premium villas – 18 positioned directly on pristine beachfront with potential expansion to include 18 elevated upland residences.
The entire development is anchored by exceptional amenities: an exclusive yacht club, an elegant waterfront promenade, and thoughtfully curated retail experiences.
What distinguishes Port Nimara is our integrated community concept – whether you’re a yacht owner, hotel guest, or villa resident, you become part of an exclusive luxury ecosystem that celebrates the pinnacle of Caribbean living whilst preserving the intimate character and authentic charm that makes Anguilla truly extraordinary.
In what ways do you hope the project will support local businesses and create opportunities for Anguillians?
Local economic empowerment lies at the very heart of Port Nimara’s mission.
We’re committed to generating 200 direct employment positions across marina operations, luxury hospitality, and maintenance services, complemented by approximately 500 peripheral opportunities spanning hospitality, maritime services, retail, and support sectors.
However, our commitment extends significantly beyond immediate job creation – we’re setting up proper training programmes to educate and upskill in maritime and hospitality sectors, equipping Anguillians with internationally recognised expertise that will serve their entire careers.
Our strategic partnership with Antillean Development LLC, under George A Fraser’s leadership, ensures local expertise and deep community integration from inception.
We’re equally committed to developing robust supply chain partnerships with local suppliers and service providers wherever operationally viable.
Port Nimara functions as a catalyst for sustainable, long-term economic advancement – not merely a development that extracts value from the local community, but one that makes substantial, ongoing investments in Anguilla’s human capital and business ecosystem.
We want to make sure that when Port Nimara succeeds, it creates a foundation for broader economic prosperity throughout Anguilla, empowering local businesses and residents as genuine stakeholders in this transformation.
What steps are being taken to protect Anguilla’s marine and coastal environment during construction and beyond?
Environmental stewardship represents a fundamental cornerstone of Port Nimara’s development philosophy.
From our initial design phase, we’ve integrated principles that harmonise with Anguilla’s delicate marine ecosystem, ensuring our development enhances rather than compromises the natural environment.
This commitment transcends basic regulatory compliance – we’ve implemented serious environmental safeguards throughout every development phase.
We’re leveraging SF Marina’s century-plus expertise in sustainable marine construction, implementing proven methodologies refined across projects spanning five continents.
Our environmental commitment extends decades beyond construction completion – we’re establishing monitoring systems and operational protocols designed to safeguard Anguilla’s marine and coastal environment in perpetuity.
This encompasses advanced water quality monitoring, sustainable materials specification, and construction methodologies specifically engineered to minimise impact on marine ecosystems and coastal habitats.
Our ultimate objective is creating a development that future generations will recognise as having enhanced, rather than compromised, Anguilla’s environmental integrity and natural splendour.
What have been the biggest milestones so far, and what are the next steps we can expect in the year ahead?
We’ve achieved several pivotal milestones that demonstrate Port Nimara’s substantial momentum and our unwavering commitment to this transformative initiative.
After finalising our Joint Venture agreements with TEI Inc in the New York, a group that is present in the island for many years under the lead of Francis Greenburger, we have progressed the design and permitting activities that allowed us to move into the construction of the project.
Most significantly, we commenced the marina excavation works on 4 December, 2024, marking the effective construction activities on site that followed a series of initial works and preparatory efforts.
The offshore pontoon fabrication at the SF Marina fabrication yards in Sweden started already in mid-2024, and we’ve successfully secured Consigli as our construction partner, assembling a consortium with proven expertise to deliver our ambitious vision.
Additionally, we’re progressing steadily through regulatory approvals and permitting processes, which are critical for a development of this scale and complexity.
The year ahead presents an exciting trajectory of achievement. We’ll advance excavation and marine construction works, which form the foundational infrastructure for our entire development.
We anticipate commencing hotel and villa construction phases in 2026, progressing broader infrastructure development, and coordinating closely with Anguilla’s complementary airport expansion to enhance international accessibility.
Crucially, we’ll implement our employment and professional training programmes, ensuring Anguillians are optimally positioned to capitalise on Port Nimara’s opportunities.
Each milestone advances our vision of establishing Anguilla as the Caribbean’s undisputed premier maritime destination.
Is there anything about the project or your vision that you think the public may not yet fully understand or appreciate?
Something I think gets overlooked is that Port Nimara embodies a strategic vision extending far beyond conventional marina development.
We’re creating an integrated maritime destination that will fundamentally transform Anguilla’s participation in global luxury tourism markets.
The economic multiplier effect radiates well beyond our immediate facility – every superyacht berthing, every hotel guest, every villa owner generates substantial ripple effects throughout Anguilla’s economy, benefiting restaurants, retail establishments, tour operators, and service providers across the island.
I’m really proud of how we’ve approached environmental affairs and authentic local integration.
Port Nimara isn’t a development imposed upon Anguilla – it’s been conceived and designed specifically to benefit and actively engage the Anguillan community.
We’re introducing international standards and exceptional maritime infrastructure to the Caribbean, but we’re executing this in a manner that celebrates and amplifies what makes Anguilla genuinely special.
This represents sustainable growth and long-term prosperity creation, not short-term value extraction.
Port Nimara will establish a lasting legacy benefiting Anguilla for generations, positioning the island as a permanent fixture amongst the world’s most prestigious maritime destinations whilst preserving the authentic Caribbean character and charm that makes Anguilla truly extraordinary.
To find out more about Port Nimara, click here to visit the website.
This is a sponsored feature produced in partnership with Port Nimara.
Where is the financing coming from? Who has been approached? Which banks are onboard? After the financial debacle that was Anguilla in 2008 (2005-2009) will any bank finance a project like this after so many failures in the 2000’s?