Alblasserdam builder of the largest Dutch yachts, 80 to 130 m, bought by Valve founder Gabe Newell in 2025 and building a vertical group around it.
1987
Founded
Gabe Newell, since Aug 2025
Owner
not published
Revenue
Marcel Onkenhout, since 2010
CEO
80 to 130 m
Range
Mercury, Aluship, Lateral, Alewijnse, Winel
Group
What happened, 2023 to 2026
Apr 2023Build127 m sailing yacht Koru delivered
Oct 2023BuildSimply Custom: an 80 m line on one platform
Aug 2025OwnerGabe Newell buys Oceanco; Barwani family exits after 15 years
Aug 2025DealAlewijnse, the systems integrator, joins the group
Sep 2025Deal130 m Y727 confirmed, the largest ever; second Zwijndrecht site bought
Nov 2025BuildTwo 111 m yachts delivered in one month
What it adds up to. A new private owner is buying the supply chain (hulls, superstructures, systems, doors) while the management stays.
Who runs it
Member of the management board (from 1 November 2026)since 2026
Chief Executive Officersince 2010
Sales Directorsince 2020
Executive director, Life Cycle Supportsince 2024
Manager operational excellencesince 2025
Head of Designsince 2022
Manager projects designsince 2022
Organisation. New private owner; CEO since 2010 with group companies for hulls, superstructures, systems
What it shows for a new yard. A long-serving CEO, now with an owner who funds vertical integration.
Former leaders now elsewhere14 people who held a top or senior seat here
now Director General / General Manager at Astilleros de Mallorca
now Technical director at Vertom Group
now Chief Executive Officer at ICT Shipyard
now Senior Sales Manager at OMNIYAT
now Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Econowind
now Head of Innovation at Koninklijke de Vries Scheepsbouw te Aalsmeer
now Director Kaag Shipyard at Royal Van Lent Shipyard
now Manager Production at Mercury Yacht Construction BV (an Oceanco Company)
now Manager Engineering at Vitters Shipyard
now Company Owner at The NERA Company B.V.
now Chief Technical Officer at Hydro Tec
now Director Design & Development / Engineering at Heesen Yachts
now Business Unit General Manager Projects Maritime at Bakker Sliedrecht
now Manager Interior at Heesen Yachts
Organisation chartthe top seat, the senior layer by function, and the managers where the top team is small; the number two is marked
Jacques Kröner
Member of the management board (from 1 November 2026)
since 2026
MO
Marcel Onkenhout
Chief Executive Officer
since 2010
General management2 senior
Sales and marketing4 senior, +5 managers below
Engineering and design2 senior, +27 managers below
Production and operations1 senior, +14 managers below
Projects and service3 senior, +12 managers below
Purchasing1 senior, +3 managers below
Finance, legal and IT5 senior, +3 managers below
People1 senior, +6 managers below
AM
Annemarie Manger
Non-executive director
since 2018
UB
Usama Barwani
Board director (Barwani family)
since 2014
Bas Swanink
Sales Director
since 2020
Number two
Johan Kaasjager
Executive director, Life Cycle Support
since 2024
Paris Baloumis
Director Strategic Alliances
since 2026
Wim Verhoeff
Sales Director
since 2025
GV
Gilles VERNHET
Head of Design
since 2022
MM
Marco Meinardi
Manager projects design
since 2022
Jeroen Lansbergen
Manager operational excellence
since 2025
Deniz de Koningh
Project Director
since 2024
Edske Smit
Project Director
since 2018
ED
Erwin de Looff
Project Director
since 2017
JD
Jaap de Gier
Head of Procurement
since 2025
Ben van der Vegt
Director Finance & Control
since 2000
DW
David Wittenberg
Chief Financial Officer (Monaco)
since 1995
Kevin Korevaar
General counsel and analytics lead
since 2024
Léon Blokland
Director Finance & Control
since 2017
MD
Mike den Buurman
Chief Information Officer
since 2026
AS
Antoinette Sonneveld
Human Resources Director
since 2020
Number two. Sales director since 2020 on seventeen years of project management: the same road the CEO took. A corporate lawyer joins the management board in November 2026 for the new owner; the executive director of life-cycle support (Kaasjager) is the other candidate.
The top team as read on LinkedIn119 people read as staff, October 2026
CEO since 2010 (from General Manager Marketing & Sales) over a directors team of project directors who each own a 100 m plus build, two Sales Directors (one from project management, one from design), a Director Strategic Alliances (the former marketing director), an executive director for Life Cycle Support, Director Finance & Control (two in the title) plus a Monaco CFO, HR Director, CIO, Head of Procurement, Head of Design; a non-executive director and a director from the former owning family on the board.
Oceanco organises around projects, not functions: the senior operational layer is a bench of project directors rather than a production or technical director, which fits a yard that builds a few very large one-off yachts at a time. Commercial seats are filled from inside (a project manager and a designer became sales directors), and the CEO himself came up through marketing and sales. Finance is doubled (a Monaco CFO beside the yard's finance director), a trace of the Omani ownership that ended in Aug 2025.
Seats and dates are as the people describe them on LinkedIn; a person who moved in the last months can still show the old seat. Tap a person for the profile and the reading.
Candidates at Oceanco4 people under 50 in the pools; the shortlisted first
Johan Kaasjager
Uitvoerend directeur at Oceanco · Vught, Netherlands
AgeAbout 46estimate from the school years on the profile
Based inVught, Netherlands
Current seatUitvoerend directeur, Oceanco, since 2024
CareerSince 2004, 22 years
Builders on the CVOceanco (current); Damen Yachting · Amels (earlier); Heesen Yachts (earlier)
EducationUniversity of Haarlem Bachelor of Maritime Engineering · Scheepsbouwkunde / Mariti; Koning Willem I College English Degree
LanguagesNot given
In brief
Executive director ('uitvoerend directeur') since Jul 2024, headline Director Life Cycle Support. Commercial Director of Den Breejen Shipyard 2020-2024, Heesen sales and marketing manager 2016-2020, Damen Yachting sales manager and sales engineer 2006-2016, Wärtsilä sales support engineer; maritime engineering degree. Engineer to seller to commercial director, now running an after-sales line.
AgeAbout 41estimate from the school years on the profile
Based inNetherlands
Current seatProject Director, Oceanco, since 2024
CareerSince 2008, 18 years
Builders on the CVOceanco (current)
EducationTU Delft Master of Science (MSc) · Marine Design - Ship Design (Cum L; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Master of Science (MSc) · Marin Teknikk
Project director since May 2024 with end-to-end delivery of one multi-year custom build and a seat on the directors team; Damen tender manager and newbuild project manager before; Delft and NTNU marine design.
ED
Erwin de Looff
Project Director at Oceanco · The Hague, Netherlands
Sales Director since Dec 2025 after sales manager (2024), fleet support project manager and innovation designer at Oceanco; Delft industrial design, graduated 2015. The junior version of the design-to-sales hybrid; ten years of career.
Facts and news, with sourcesthe research behind the overview
Show the facts and the dated news with their sources
Founded: 1987, by South African private investors. source
Headquarters and main yard: Alblasserdam, Netherlands (about 20 km from Rotterdam). Sales, design and marketing office in Monaco. source
Other yards: Zwijndrecht (former Heerema yard, bought 2019; used for hulls, new builds, refit and life-extension). In 2025-09 Oceanco bought a second complex there of about 13,400 m2 (Noordweg 15A, ex De Groot Staalconstructies). source
Ownership: **changed in 2025-08**. Gabe Newell (founder of Valve, USA) is the new shareholder; the Barwani family (Mohammed Al Barwani, owner since 2010-03) left after about 15 years and keeps its yacht interest through Turquoise Yachts (Türkiye). Stake not disclosed. source 1source 2
Earlier owners: Theodore Angelopoulos (from 2002), Al Barwani (2010–2025). source
Sister companies (Oceanco Group, as of 2026-07-08): Mercury Yacht Construction (hulls, founded 2020, fully owned), Aluship (superstructures), Lateral (naval architects, set up 2018 with BMT Nigel Gee), Alewijnse (electrical systems integrator, joined 2025-08), Winel (doors and hatches, Assen, joined 2026-07). source 1source 2source 3
Size
Employees: no dated company statement found. An undated fan site (superyachtfan.com) says more than 400; not verified. source
Revenue: not found (private company).
Boat International Global Order Book rank: not found. The 2026 edition summary (published 2025-12-18) does not name Oceanco. source
Product
Size range: 80 m and up. Recent deliveries 109–127 m; the largest order is the 130 m Y727. source 1source 2
Hull materials: hulls are built by group company Mercury in Zwijndrecht and superstructures by Aluship (aluminium superstructure specialist). source 1source 2
Model.
Full-custom motor and sailing yachts (core business; for example Koru, Leviathan).
Simply Custom: an 80 m, 2,500–2,700 GT line on one proven platform by Lateral, with many design options; launched at FLIBS 2023-10. First hull is Y729 (80 m, delivery 2027). source 1source 2
Life Cycle Support: refit and rebuild (for example Draak, 93 m, 2026). source
Notable deliveries 2023 to 2026.
Koru (Y721), 127 m sailing schooner, 2023-04. source
