Simply Abu Dhabi XXVII

6 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I S IMPLY INF LUENT I AL A stalwart of the shipbuilding industry, Oceanco is no stranger to expansions and new builds. Its established facilities in Alblasserdam include a private harbour with 130m of quayside where a new state-of- the-art dry dock was recently designed and purpose-built to handle yachts of up to 140m in length. But in 2010, when its current owner Dr. Mohammed Al Barwani acquired the Dutch yard and brought it under the umbrella of MB Holdings, a new era of determination commenced. Dr. Barwani is a businessman familiar with success; on founding MB Holdings in 1982, his business interests progressed steadily, first through the energy and oil industries, then real estate, and now within the superyacht industry. Though to some the purchase of Oceanco, and later the Turkish shipyard Turquoise Yachts, may appear just another fruitful business venture to add to Dr. Barwani’s corporate repertoire, heading two successful shipyards is in fact the embodiment of a life- long passion for the sea. Growing up in Oman – a country famous for its capital port of Muscat, as well as world-class fishing and diving – Dr. Barwani’s connection to everything maritime transcends just business. Have you always been interested in yachting? I’ve lived by the ocean all my life. At a very young age, I actually tried to build myself a boat. I think I was around seven years old, and all my friends helped me. We put her in the water and as soon as we did, she sank! In Oman I have several smaller boats; the 32m Sharifa is my biggest, a one-off Hatteras with a fishing cockpit in the back. I love to fish here. The 109m Y718 (which hit the water in February in 2017 and will again be one of the largest yachts ever built in the Netherlands once delivered in 2018) was my own project – well, it was my wife’s project! I was not planning to sell the Y718, but it happened that a client came and liked her. I personally think that when she is finished she will be ground-breaking. For me it was both a happy and sad occasion when she was sold. Part of the fun of owning a yacht is actually the process of building it. In 2010 you bought Oceanco. What led to that decision? I was not planning on buying a shipyard. In 2010 I asked my banker if he knew a yacht for sale. He told me he didn’t, but he did know of a shipyard for sale. I went to look at it and I was very impressed by the company, its management and the work they were doing. I invested in it and went to work expanding it. I’ve been happy ever since.