As the yachting industry works towards a more sustainable future, the preservation of existing vessels and lifecycle management has become a pressing issue for many shipyards and clients. To address these concerns and to further serve owners, yacht builder Oceanco has announced that it is expanding its scope to include refit operations – and not just for its own vessels but the global fleet. The shipyard’s board of directors has been focused on future-proofing the Oceanco brand for many years, and when it acquired a 28-acre facility close to its headquarters in 2019, it saw an opportunity to expand its capacity for maintenance, refit, and lifetime extension work. The new site includes a dedicated 132m x 38m space that will be the home of Oceanco’s “Life Cycle Support” team.

Oceanco's new facility

The Oceanco board tasked the Life Cycle Support Team to reimagine how the shipyard could work with yachts long-term, not only offering services for construction and warranty stages but extending into the full lifetimes of the vessels. This programme is not just for major works or large-scale refits, but also any day-to-day questions or issues that owners and crew encounter throughout their time on board. In this way, the lifecycle support is more akin to an ongoing concierge service for Oceanco’s clients. The refit team are seeking to support clients with even small questions, queries about systems, and provide support with detailed drawings and troubleshooting. The shipyard has the added benefit of the knowledge and experience of the build process and often calls upon the same people who were there during the construction phase.

Oceanco's Life Cycle Support Team

An undeniable beneficial byproduct of this service is that Oceanco will be at the foremost in their client’s minds when they think about any major alterations or upgrades, and then ultimately for when they want to build their next boat. The ongoing relationship will also encourage yachts to utilise the latest in sustainable materials that may have not been available when the vessel was launched. Like many in the yachting industry, Oceanco is working hard to pave the road to zero emissions. The shipyard aims to install at least one or two sustainable elements on any of the major lifecycle support projects and have developed a number of sustainability upgrade packages that are plug-and-play. These include a new sewage treatment system, a battery pack and alternative power systems, including hydrogen fuel cells.

The Oceanco name will offer quality assurance for clients, especially as the shipyard has spent years curating a network of experienced subcontractors – known as the ‘Oceanco Co-maker Unlimited’ initiative. As Frank van Loo, Oceanco’s refit manager explains: “For refits, you rely on longstanding relationships with all kinds of subcontractors; we need to be able to call them at a moment’s notice and keep those relationships in shape. For us, the added value in refits is that we have an even stronger trust and relationship with our co-makers. We know they provide the best service and that the work will be carried out to an Oceanco quality standard, which is reassuring for us as well as the client.”

For the Oceanco team, offering these services is a logical step for its current and prospective clients. In addition to securing expanding its offerings for clients, a lifecycle program ensures that some of the global fleet’s most iconic vessels remain expertly maintained, equipped with the latest sustainable materials and in perfect condition for years to come.

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