Merrill-Stevens, whose services include yacht sales, charter, brokerage, fleet management, crew placement and a full-service shipyard, opened an office in Mexico City. Heading the office will be Jose Arana Sr., his son Jose Arana Jr. and a team of industry professionals well-versed in the Central American yachting market. Visit www.merrillstevens.com.

Island Global Yachting held a ground-breaking ceremony to announce its selection as master developer and operator of a new five-star marina at Altamer Resort on Anguilla. The development will serve as the official port of entry for Anguilla and will feature a 100-slip marina with 30 percent of the berths for megayachts. The facility is scheduled to open at the end of 2009 and will be the island’s first marina. Visit www.igymarinas.com.

Ocean Medical International, a yacht medical kit and medical services supplier, opened its Fort Lauderdale office. The office will be managed by Rebecca Castellano, formerly of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida. OMI also announced a key partnership with the First Call, a group that provides 24/7 emergency medical assistance to the maritime community. Visit www.omi2.com.

The Superyacht Builders Association officially launched this fall. SBA has been active for more than a year, but its recent meeting in Monaco was the first formal general assembly as a registered association under Monegasque law. The group’s main goals are to "ensure that regulations which have an impact on our industry reflect the unique nature of superyachts; to supply owners and other key players with genuinely useful information; to offer a professional platform that matches the quality of our members’ products; and to provide members with a single body that allows common interests to be shared." Membership is limited to yards that have built at least three vessels of at least 130 feet over the last 10 years. Visit www.sybass.org.

Brittany Carr and Jill Zwaans joined Warren Yachts as the new sales and marketing coordinator and sales and marketing assistant, providing support to brokers and dealers in all aspects of sales and marketing.
Visit www.warrenyachts.com.

Trident Funding Corporation added Julio Santana and Bob Allen to its Fort Lauderdale office. Santana joined as the Southeast regional manager after 10 years with Caterpillar Finance. Bob Allen is the new office manager and has worked with Scott Financial and Essex Credit. Visit www.tridentfunding.com.

Sally Aston will head up Döhle’s new yacht crewing operation, Döhle Yacht Crew. Aston brings experience from the finance sector and career planning offices along with her human resources expertise. Döhle supports more than 25 large yachts, providing a full range of services (excluding charter, sale and brokering) to yacht owners and captains. Visit www.dohle-yachtcrew.com.