Oceanco continues to make waves with the launch of its first sailing yacht and a new stunning concept for a “rule-breaking” superyacht

Oceanco will be present at the upcoming Monaco Yacht Show this September, with its new team leaders looking to boost the premier Dutch builder’s profile and success in the international marketplace.

This follows two key appointments made by Oceanco in June, when it promoted Paris Baloumis to the position of Group Marketing Manager and Bas Swanink as Sales Manager.

Baloumis, who has a master’s of science in business administration from the University of Erasmus in Rotterdam, began his career as a management trainee with Oceanco in 2006. 

Prior to being named Group Marketing Manager, he had the dual responsibility of being Relations Manager of Oceanco’s fleet – liaising with the captains and crew of all the yachts ever built by Oceanco – as well as being Public Relations Manager – communicating with international stakeholders on an ongoing basis.

Baloumis is based in Monaco, in the heart of the luxury yachting capital – where Oceanco has long maintained its Marketing, Sales and Design office. 

He continues to work closely with Marketing Manager Michele Flandin and Marketing and Public Relations Associate Iris Bosschaart.

Baloumis’s nearly 10 years of experience at Oceanco has provided him with a clear insight into the company’s DNA. Having been involved from when Oceanco started focusing solely on building its next generation of yachts, Baloumis is exceptionally well positioned to lead Oceanco’s future marketing and branding.

Meanwhile, Swanink – whose new position comes as Oceanco expands its sales department – will be working in tandem with Robert Tan. 

Swanink is no stranger to Oceanco; he has been with the company as a Project Manager for eight years, during which time he was a key figure in developing and engineering the industry’s first PYC (passenger yacht code)-compliant yacht ever built, the 91.5-m Equanimity. 

In the process, he and his team worked closely with Lloyds Register, Cayman Islands Shipping Registry and several yachting industry partners.

Prior to his tenure with Oceanco, Swanink was employed in the superyacht industry for nearly 10 years in various management positions: design, project management and after-sales management. In the span of his career, he has project managed and delivered eight custom superyachts from 50 m to 92 m in length. He has worked with clients from around the world, including the US, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia. In his new role, he will continue to work closely with clients, representatives, captains, crew and brokers.

Swanink, along with Tan, will be representing Oceanco at the major boat shows and yachting events beginning with the 2015 Monaco Yacht Show. He has a degree in shipbuilding technology, is a veteran team player and is looking forward to expanding his role and the role of Oceanco in the international marketplace.


FIRST SAILING YACHT

Earlier this year, Oceanco also made waves by launching its first ever sailing yacht and also revealing a stunning new concept at the Dubai International Boat Show, in the UAE.

The 85-m luxury sailing yacht, launched by Oceanco and Vitters Shipyard in May, is called the Aquijo. 

The project was the outcome of a remarkable co-operation where both partners combined their respective expertise, says Oceanco, adding that “the novel approach to building is as unique as the yacht itself”.

Oceanco and Vitters Shipyard worked closely through all stages of this custom project. During the design engineering study, the specification was defined by the yards’ teams, in close co-operation with the naval architect, the owners and their representatives, Master Yachts.

The vessel’s complexity lies in her sheer size as well as in the qualities that make her a real performance sailing yacht. Oceanco’s innovations and experience in building large custom power yachts in the 80-m-plus range, and Vitters Shipyard’s vast experience in building large, high-performance sailing yachts were the driving force in teaming up to manage such a complex project. 

Capitalising on each other’s strengths, the teams broke boundaries with not only the size, but also the complexity, of an extensive array of advanced systems.

Built under the project name P85, with Master Yachts, naval architect Tripp Design and interior designer Dölker + Voges, this extraordinary sailing superyacht combines outstanding sailing performance, state-of-the-art technology and reliability, with exceptional space, comfort and luxury – a combination rarely found on sailing yachts, the Dutch builder says.

The design and execution of all components of this 85-m yacht ensure that guests and crew alike will sail in safety and comfort. “Given her design characteristics, she will be as nimble and as easy to handle as a yacht of smaller dimensions, proving that a super sailing yacht can have competitive sailing capabilities with relative ease of handling,” an Oceanco spokesman says. 

He continues: “As can be expected from both naval architect and builders, this is a true sailing yacht, performing well at all points of sail and benefitting from exhaustive engineering and superior craftsmanship.

“The yacht has a clean, high-volume superstructure designed to blur the boundaries between inside social spaces and outside deck areas, with long, clear sightlines throughout. The yacht is designed around a comfortably clear and modern interior that adorns four decks of common as well as discrete living areas, for both social and private use.

“The unique steering system, developed by Vitters Shipyard, completes the ultimate sailing experience. By translating the hydrodynamic forces on the underwater rudder blades directly to the fly bridge steering wheels, this steering system provides the helmsman with immediate feedback, a feeling for the yacht.”

This groundbreaking sailing yacht pioneers new territory on many fronts. She will be an astonishing sight to behold as she sails the world’s oceans, adds Oceanco.


STILETTO

The new concept unveiled in Dubai was a new 100-m superyacht project called Stiletto and briefly featured by Arabian Knight in its Spring 2015 issue.

Now, more details have been released.

Boasting a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, with a length of 107 m and a beam of 15.3 m, Stiletto’s exteriors are designed by Ken Freivokh.

Stiletto is described as a “surprise and a rule-breaker” and a superyacht that transcends all preconceived notions of the interior and deck layout.

Impressive aft terraces surround a handsome swimming pool fully integrated to the external dining and bar areas and extending to a massive beach club and gymnasium.

More unusually, Stiletto boasts an impressive outdoor terrace forwards, fully protected under shading louvres, including a further large swimming pool, bar/pantry, seating and recliners, all against the backdrop of a spectacular water feature on way to the extended helipad.

The superyacht’s master suite has a private exterior deck and whirlpool, and there is also a VIP suite that can be converted into two guest cabins and six guest cabins. 

In addition to the unusual deck layout, the interior has a sumptuous two-storey salon with 6 m of headroom, the focal point of which is a central bar. A mezzanine balcony at the upper level of the salon offers panoramic views and long sightlines.

A central glass lift and a large spiral staircase are capped by a major skylight, which brings sunlight down to the heart of the yacht. At the lower deck are the gymnasium, spa, and toys and tenders garage.

Among other features, the yacht boasts a hybrid propulsion optimised for various operating conditions and slender hybrid hull shape, lower exhaust emissions, lower propulsion power and the ability to recycle energy.

The yacht can accommodate up to 18 persons and 30 crew.


ANASTASIA

Meanwhile, yachting aficionados looking to sail the seas in style this summer will be delighted to know that the 75.5-m Anastasia, one of Oceanco’s striking superyachts can be chartered for around a little under $700,000 a week, or if they so fancy, bought for $110 million.

A strikingly elegant and dynamic superyacht with a steel hull and an aluminium superstructure, Anastasia was launched in 2008 at Oceanco’s yard in Alblasserdam, The Netherlands. 

The superyacht’s interiors and exteriors were designed by Australian Sam Sorgiovanni, whose intent was to create a new and distinctive look, to play with curved lines, the interaction of window lines, hull and decks. The designer’s objective was “to create a form that was interesting, to give visual excitement and interest where the deck levels were made virtually impossible to follow from bow to stern”. 

Equally important to design is functionality and the yacht boasts a vast garage to house an impressive array of tenders, jet skis and water toys, a cinema, massage room, medical room, two-level owner’s suite and accommodation for 10 guests in two luxurious VIP suites and three double cabins.

Sorgiovanni designed Anastasia around water sports and her garage can host an array of equipment including a 9.5-m limousine tender and a sport boat of similar size, a 6.5-m Malibu ski boat and a 6.3-m Zodiac, four personal watercraft and numerous water toys. The systems that tend them were designed for quick deployment and service.

Among the yacht’s unique features are an aquarium, which also has a system to keep the fish from getting seasick in rough weather! Other innovations include a swim platform with a section that drops for easy access to the sea and a sundeck that accommodates a helipad.

The dark blue yacht is equipped with twin 3,650 hp (2720 KW) MTU 16V 4000 M90 series engines that propel her to a top speed of 18 knots.

Edmiston & Company are central agents for Anastasia. 

STILETTO SPEC CHECK

Builder: Oceanco
Type: Steel hull and aluminium superstructure
Length: 107 m/351 ft
Beam: 15.3 m/50.2 ft
Exterior Designer: Ken Freivokh
Accommodation: Master suite with private deck and whirlpool, one VIP suite, and six guest cabins