New Oceanco owner reveals his vision for the firm, as 130m flagship revealed

Gabe Newell — the gaming billionaire who bought Dutch shipyard Oceanco earlier this year — has spoken for the first time about his involvement with the firm, and his vision for the company’s future.

The firm, which has just confirmed early details of a new 130m flagship superyacht, was acquired in August 2025.

Newell’s connection with Oceanco began as a client during the design and build of the 111m Leviathan. He described the process as one that naturally led to deeper involvement. “When you’re building a yacht with Oceanco, it’s a very collaborative and enjoyable process — they make you feel like you are part of the team,” he said, speaking at the 2025 Monaco Yacht Show. “I started to have conversations with Marcel and his team, and with Dr. Barwani, about whether I could help move the organisation forward if I took a more direct role in ownership.”

Newell emphasised that his position is not limited to investment, but is also participatory. He confirmed that he does not intend to make immediate changes, with Oceanco’s culture, strategy and priorities remaining in place. “Initially, my involvement is just about supporting the things the organisation already knew it wanted to do,” he explained.

One of those priorities has been the acquisition of system integrator Alewijnse, which now joins Oceanco, Lateral, Mercury and Aluship within the Oceanco Group. Newell described this as part of a broader strategy of expansion aimed at greater integration and collaboration across industries.

Looking further ahead, he pointed to the possibility of drawing on his experience in technology development. “Just about everything I’ve been involved in over the years has moved some aspect of technology forward in a way that benefits customers,” he said. “Over time, we will start to identify interesting technologies, prototype them and move them into production. But for now, there’s important work to do simply supporting what Oceanco already does brilliantly.”

Speaking as both a shareholder and a client, Newell described Oceanco as “a customer-focused yacht builder”. He added that his ambition is to help the company enhance the long-term value of its yachts for owners and their teams, with future projects expanding on Leviathan’s achievements, particularly in crew-focused design.

“What gets me out of bed in the morning is doing work that communities value,” he said. “I care enormously about being someone who can add value to the yachting community, so entering this world is both exciting and a little nerve-wracking. At this stage, I feel very much part of the team and see how we can be a force for good in the industry.”

New 130m flagship superyacht

During Monaco, Oceanco also announced the signing of its largest yacht to date, a new 130-metre flagship superyacht to be built under Lloyd’s Register classification.

The agreement was formalised in the presence of the Yacht Club de Monaco during the Monaco Yacht Show at Port Hercule.

Although full details remain confidential, Oceanco has confirmed that the 130m project will mark a new stage in scale, design and innovation. The yacht is expected to incorporate major advances in sustainability, technology and operational range.

“This vessel represents not only a leap in scale but also in ambition,” says Marcel Onkenhout, CEO at Oceanco. “Oceanco has embarked on an ambitious next chapter, pushing further on design, innovation and sustainability. Collaborating with Lloyd’s Register ensures that our boldest visions are realised with uncompromising safety and quality.”