A major influx of multimillion dollar motoryachts, BMW supercars and flying machines has already begun to arrive in the build-up to the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Bermuda.

Yesterday, two megayachts, Mushasi and Illiquid, arrived in the East End in time for the sailing spectacle, while a further six motoryachts are expected to arrive on the Island in the coming days.

Meanwhile, a batch of state-of-the-art BMW supercars arrived at Hamilton Docks on board the Oleander at the beginning of the week. The fleet of ten BMW i8s and an i3, which have been brought into Bermuda specifically for the World Series, are already turning heads on the Island’s roads.

The Oleander’s next arrival on Sunday will signal the arrival of the helicopter that will film the races next weekend in the Great Sound as well as three high-speed RHIB boats.

“The America’s Cup appears to be a valuable catalyst to help change the mood of potential Bermuda investors,” said Barry Brewer, president and CEO of the Neptune Group, which runs the Oleander. “What has resulted is the announcement of several major projects in the foreseeable future that will require shipping services.”

Next weekend’s World Series event has provided a welcome boost to importation volumes, and has meant Hamilton Docks has been a flurry of activity in the past few weeks.

Stevedoring Services CEO Warren Jones told The Royal Gazette that shrinking the size of the docks by a third to help accommodate the America’s Cup village in Hamilton had been a challenge but all parties had worked together to make it successful.

He said: “Since April we have seen a steady increase in cargo volumes, although how much ran be related to the America’s Cup is hard to say.

“We are looking at approximately a three per cent increase year on year, which is good news, and we have certainly been very busy these last few weeks.

“I want to thank everyone from HM Customs, the shipping agents, the truckers, the importer community and also the staff at Stevedoring Services for the work that has been done already.

“It’s been challenging, especially with the hurricane putting us back, but we are getting there with everyone working together.”

The Royal Gazette understands that there have been around 150 America’s Cup related moves so far this year

George Butterfield, manager of Meyer Freight said: “BISL and SISL have seen a slight increase in cargo this year. Both lines have carried some of America’s Cup related cargo, however, it’s impossible to say how much of this growth is related to the World Cup Series or the recovery of the local economy.

“Overall, next week’s event will have had a positive impact, but it’s impossible for us to put number on.”