Electric builder Alva Yachts appoints ex-Oyster Yachts COO

Alva Yachts, the German builder of luxury electric solar catamarans and sail boats, has announced marine specialist and former Oyster Yachts chief operating officer (COO), Peter Hamlyn, as its new COO based out of the brand’s Antalya shipyard.

Following a successful career that started at Princess Yachts in the late 1980s as an apprentice, right through to management spanning a 30-year service before moving to Fairline as operations director in 2018 and then Oyster in 2021, Peter joins Alva at an exciting time as it head towards its first Ocean ECO 60 getting on the water this autumn.

Hamlyn says: “I met Alva’s CEO Holger Henn and our careers have taken almost identical paths both originally starting as carpenters. We share the same passion for the ocean, ethics and work culture and having spent three weeks on the road with Holger exploring every corner of Alva’s business from Antalya to Dubai, Bulgaria to the UK and Germany, I was inspired and excited to join the team.”

Earlier this year, Alva Yachts released details of its Ocean Eco 90 H2, which is now in build. The 90ft superyacht catamaran with wings is said to be the world’s first fuelless 90ft superyacht catamaran with wings, running without fossil fuels and producing zero emissions.

Hamlyn continues: “Having worked in the marine industry my whole life, teamed with my love of nature, I wanted to be a part of something great, something that would keep me in the marine sector but more responsibly. I’ve followed Alva since the start and although its new technology and beautiful lines caught my attention, its innovation to move to full electric and hydrogen is something else and to me, this was a game changer for the industry.”

The brand’s first Ocean Eco 60 is expected to take to the water this autumn with the Ocean Eco 90 following by the end of the year. It is also currently building the Ocean Eco 90 H2 as well as the Ocean ECO 78.

Holger Henn, CEO at Alva Yachts says: “We are extremely happy to welcome Peter to the Alva family, his experience and knowledge in the industry is unmatched and everyone in the team is excited to work with him.”

Peter joins a new team at Alva consisting of experienced boatbuilders, engineers and technical experts, which although in its infancy brings with it the advantage of not having a pre-existing culture of a much larger and well-established business.

“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to really create something great, something to be proud of, have fun while working hard, challenging the norm while building a sustainable future for our children and their children and feel strongly that it’s the right time to be giving back,” says Hamyln.

“Developing people is something I have always had a passion for, having been the first executive at Princess to be internally promoted from the shop floor. This precedence led the way for a culture of internal promotions and training. Alva’s yachts are still made with artisan skills, not robots and although there is higher tech than when I started my career, most of the work is still done by hand by a team with a real eye for perfection.”

In 2022, Alva appointed Roos Strategic Partners as its UK and Ireland distributor.

Alva Yachts is focused on bringing yachting into a new era with electrified solar catamarans and sailing yachts that combine ‘self-sufficient, long-range cruising capabilities and class-leading design, delivering the best boats for forward-thinking explorers’.