Leading UAE and Middle East marine and land equipment business AMIT International, has completed a full refit on board its La Vie En Rose superyacht, which includes the FLIR M364C LR high definition and low light camera.

Following the purchase of the 38m superyacht two years ago from a private owner, AMIT group managing director Abdulaziz Abdulla, shares details of the complete refurbishment which includes new Garmin Bridge and FLIR M364C LR cameras, engines, entertainment system, electrics, water system.

Built by CPMG in Europe in 2004, the boat was in need of a full maintenance and refurbishment but previously did not have a thermal imaging camera on board.

Now in its 41st year of business, AMIT’s group managing director Abdulaziz Abdulla, said: “We’re a distributor for FLIR thermal cameras and Garmin, and wanted to showcase how well the systems integrate with each other to our clients and demonstrate all the features.”

Using La Vie En Rose as a demonstration boat as well as for personal, customers and AMIT’s partners, it goes out around three-four times a month. “For customers, it’s fantastic to be able to take them out to experience the marine equipment the boat features. We have many customers who have never tried the products in real life, so it provides the perfect opportunity to test them and of course we’re able to do this day and night to really show what the equipment can do.

FLIR’s M364C LR boasts a high-definition low light camera and one of the most advanced FLIR thermal imaging cores, providing an elite level of awareness on the water. It uses multispectral imaging to deliver FLIR’s exclusive Color Thermal Vision technology, which blends visible camera details with a thermal image, allowing captains to positively identify navigation aids and other vessels within the thermal scene. The premium multispectral marine camera offers outstanding imaging performance, a narrow field of view legends for extended range performance and gyro-stabilisation technology, which virtually eliminates the effects of pitch, heave, and yaw.

Abdulla comments: “FLIR produces excellent products and is ahead of competitors with the different features its cameras offer which gives a real advantage. The best feature of the M364C LR model for me is its integration, but I also love how user friendly it is to operate. Anyone who tries it, feels very familiar with it, very quickly, which is what anyone would want in a new product.

“We are also seeing an increase in customers who go on fishing trips and in offshore leisure wanting more thermal imaging cameras for safety reasons. The FLIR M300 models and mid-range cameras are getting increasingly popular as customers recognise the added peace of mind they bring,” Abdulla comments.

Talking of the marine market in UAE, Abdulla states the pandemic had little effect. “The market here has been very stable, even during the pandemic, it’s growing 10-15 percent year-on-year in all industries including commercial, pleasure and fishing. It’s also really positive to see UAE boatbuilders getting more international attention than 10-15 years ago

because buyers are realising the quality for both interior and exterior on offer here. The export market is also growing at a rapid rate, particularly in Saudi Arabia which is adding to the demand on the market here in UAE and shows no signs of slowing down over the next ten years at least.