Dutch yard Oceanco – one of the world's leading builders of custom superyachts – has been sold to American video game developer and businessman Gabe Newell.
Over the past 15 years, under the stewardship of the Barwani family, Oceanco has delivered some of history's most iconic yachts, including Kaos, Bravo Eugenia and H3 (which won awards for her transformational rebuild), as well as the world's largest and second-largest sailing yachts, Koru and Black Pearl.
The family will remain "active in the yachting world" through their continued ownership of Turquoise Yachts.
"Gabe Newell is not entering this world as a financier or a strategist, but as a hands-on visionary who respects the sea, the craft, and above all, the people who make it possible," read a statement from the yard. "He wants Oceanco to continue on what it already does best: placing people first."
It concluded: "This is not about buying a yacht company. It’s about plugging into a team and exploring what kind of future they can create when nothing holds them back."
This groundbreaking acquisition comes at a busy time for Oceanco, with four major 80-metre-plus projects currently under construction according to BOATPro. This includes the 111-metre Y726, which was launched just last month.
Read More/Oceanco launches 111m yacht Y726 in one of its largest builds to date