マルクダイバーズが廃業

悲しいお知らせです。インドネシア、アンボンのダイビングサービスマルクダイバーズ(Maluku Divers)が2018年5月31日、つまり昨日をもって廃業となりました。昨日の夜、何気にFacebookを開いたらプレスリリースが流れてきて。ダイビングはもちろん設備といい食事といい非の打ちどころのないハイレベルなサービスだったのに残念だ…。

マルクダイバーズといえば、こちらの写真。

Psychedelic frogfhsh(アンボンカエルアンコウ)

そう、サイケデリカ(アンボンカエルアンコウ)を見せてくれるサービスとして知られていました。私も一昨年の秋に行って上の写真を撮り、地球の海フォトコン2017の自由部門準グランプリを獲得できたので、今年もう一度行こうかと思っていたところなのに。

プレスリリースは以下。いつかサイトが閉じられるだろうから転載しておきます。

Maluku Divers Logo

MALUKU DIVERS PRESS RELEASE

Maluku Divers has always tried to be a reputable and honourable operator, striving to achieve high standards and being respectful of others.

From humble beginnings in basic government owned rental offices, the company has evolved, redeveloped and upgraded. In 2009, the company was reformed and a new group of shareholders invested and joined the previous owners. The group then took a huge step and purchased land, to begin construction of the purpose built dive resort. Our incredible team of Indonesian employees followed the move, and have grown from 16, when we purchased the company in 2009, to over 45 in 2018. That is over 45 families we are supporting in this remote part of Indonesia, along with countless other drivers, suppliers, and other service providers that are directly benefitted by the company operations.

The shareholder’s continued reinvestment in the property, resulted in office and staff back of house facilities, new garden rooms, a jetty, improved dive facilities, boats and transfer vehicles – all with the aim of improving the facility for a better experience for our visiting divers. Overall development of the product has resulted in what we believe is a fantastic facility. We are so proud of what our team have built over the past decade.

It is with great dismay that we have to announce that the Maluku Divers Resort will close 31 May 2018 due to a long standing legal battle involving a disputed land ownership claim. Despite multiple attempts to negotiate a fair settlement, we have been unable to reach a compromise.

It is a sad fact that Maluku Divers cannot afford to fight on. Legal bills and recent rulings have made it clear that it is not possible for the resort to continue to operate and provide services for which divers have paid.

All deposited bookings for 2018 / 2019 season will be refunded in full, our reservations team will be in touch with every guest to coordinate these refunds.

As always with this kind of situation, there will be rumours and opinions in the industry, this we understand. Everyone will argue that there are two sides to every story. However, Maluku Divers shareholders have taken no profit in over 10 years of operation, and consistently re-invested in the business at the location as the property owners. Unfortunately, others have taken advantage of a vigorously disputed claim to ownership of the property, and due to legal technicalities we have been unable to properly defend the resort.

We sincerely thank all of you who have visited and enjoyed our resort, we can only apologise that we won’t be able to continue what we have worked so hard to build. Our sense of injustice is overwhelming.

Finally to our incredible team. You are amazing, your effort and responsibility for representing, developing and protecting the company has been phenomenal. It has been an honour to stand behind you and watch the dedication and pride you showed welcoming divers to our resort. We are devastated at how it has ended. Please know you will forever be in our hearts. We love you all and we will miss you terribly.

どうやら土地の所有権が不完全で横槍が入ったようですね。長らく法廷闘争が続けれられていたそうで。途上国にありがちな地権者トラブルなのかもしれません。

とはいえ他の地権者とてマルクダイバーズからの利益分配で満足すればいいようなものを。マルクダイバーズの株主は果敢に再投資して順調に営業規模を拡大してきたのだから。例えば、2016年に再び行った際には以前はなかったガーデンルームが増築されていて、かつ満室だったし。自身でマルクダイバーズよりも上手く経営していかれるのでもなければ、あのダイビングサービス一体型リゾートを閉じるのは馬鹿げた話です。

でも合意できなかったってことは、ひょっとして後ろ盾となる中国系の出資者が現れたとかかな?2016年秋はそちらの客がやたらと増えていたので。ほんでもって居抜きでリゾートを手に入れようとしたとか?知らんけど…。