6 minute read
Oceanco – The man behind the CEO
The man behind the CEO
Year afer year, Oceanco keeps amazing the world with its custom yachts of up to 160m long. With their innovative designs and technology, the company continues to create truly one-of-a kind masterpieces which we love to show in our Yacht Reports in SuperYacht Industry.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF OCEANCO.
Oceanco has been building superyachts in the range of 80+ meters since 1987. Ever since the company frst came into being, it has produced yachts that have always pushed the bar higher, setting new standards for themselves and the world of superyachts. Oceanco always aims to achieve better, more modern, and sustainable yachts and push its limits even further with their state-of-the-art covered dry dock. At their eco-efcient headquarters and outftting facilities in Alblasserdam, Oceanco currently has the capacity to work on multiple superyachts of up to 160m at the same time. From here, their completed yachts have direct access to the North Sea without restrictions.
Latest accomplishment
One of Oceanco’s successes this year was the delivery of 117m Infnity in May. With an exterior by Espen Øino International and a contemporary interior by Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design and David Kleinberg Design Associates, she is Oceanco’s largest motoryacht to date and the largest yacht ever built in the Netherlands.
In depth with Marcel Onkenhout
We got in touch with CEO of Oceanco, Marcel Onkenhout. As he has been part of the company for 28 years, Mr Onkenhout can surely give us interesting insights in the evolution of the company, but most of all, we are eager to get to know the man behind the CEO.
Who has been your biggest role model during your studies and/or career path and how has this person inspired you? I haven’t had any particular role models but there are two quotes that have always stood out for me and that I have tried to keep in the front of my mind throughout my career. Both serve as a reminder to stay humble and to work >>
One of Oceanco’s successes this year was the delivery of 117m Infnity in May.
Marcel Onkenhout, CEO of Oceanco.
At their eco-effcient, headquarters and outftting facilities in Alblasserdam, Oceanco currently has the capacity to work on multiple superyachts of up to 160m at the same time.
in partnership with others, in order to achieve success in whatever your endeavors might be. The frst from Stephen Covey, who wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Efective People, is: “Surround yourself with people who are even more talented and competent than you.” And the second from Bill Gates, whose words have certainly aged well, is: “As we look ahead to the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” I hope that I have stayed true to the spirit of both.
As a youngster, did you ever dream of becoming the CEO of a big yacht building company? I’m not sure I was aware that such a job existed. But I have always loved being by the water and boats, which is perhaps in the blood as a Dutchman! In fact, CEO was not really on my radar for a while, even while working at Oceanco. A number of years afer completing my degree in Industrial Engineering in Tilburg, the Netherlands, I joined Oceanco in 1994 as a project manager for the company’s fourth yacht, 50.6m Accolade (now Lady Z), which was constructed at the newly acquired Dreumel yard. Oceanco was a relative newcomer to the industry at that point, and we were setting new standards with our approach to yacht building. A decade later, afer experiencing practically every element of the yacht building process frst-hand, I became the company’s General Manager of Marketing and Sales, followed by Deputy Managing Director and then fnally CEO. It has been a privilege to work with so many outstanding colleagues, clients and co-makers over the years, and I am really proud of what we have achieved at Oceanco in the 28 years since I joined, including so many world frsts with our daring, one-
DAR’s futuristic superstructure has almost 400m2 of glass glued to the main deck and sundeck without mechanical fasteners. Due to her long, lean and sporty superstructure with reduced volumes alongside a lower center of gravity, she has enhanced performance on the water.
of-a-kind superyachts. Oceanco is like family to me and I am glad that together we continue to grow and evolve, leading the change in our industry with initiatives such as Oceanco NXT and Superyacht NFTs.
Apart from being the CEO of Oceanco, could you share with us what your favorite way is to spend your free time? I love to be by the water and have always wanted to pass this on to my children. When we can, come rain or sunshine, my sons and I like to go fshing together. It is not just for the challenge of catching something, but the special moments that you share with one another and the chance to talk without distraction. And of course shopping with my daughters.
Our lives have been turned upside down throughout the world during the pandemic. Looking back on it now, what is the most valuable lesson you have learned in the past two years? If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that nothing beats spending time with family and our loved ones. Also, having a reliable team that you can count on is priceless.
Which current developments at Oceanco are you most excited about and why? 2022 is a big year for us as we have a number of deliveries in relatively close succession. Having weathered the added challenges of the pandemic, we can all be really proud of what we have been able to achieve to keep moving forward when the whole world felt like it was in disarray. We are also developing our Oceanco NXT initiative to incorporate a more holistic collective of forward-thinking partners, which is great to see evolving. And of course our highly anticipated Superyacht NFTs project is going from strength to strength with new utilities partners and opportunities continuing to develop. If the pandemic gave us a moment to take stock, now we all have the chance to act on our resolutions and new energy.
Last but not least, which challenge would you like to take on as CEO in the future? Oceanco has for a number of years been looking into the development of alternative energy sources for yachting. I would love to see this take of in a signifcant way and for more Owners to feel comfortable that making a choice for sustainability can also be the best choice for their experience and lifestyle onboard. It very much feels like we are on to some exciting breakthroughs and that we can lead the way for a change where transport on water exists in harmony with nature.
