After 20 years of overseeing the shipyard, Moonen Shipyards’ managing director Emile Bilterijst has stepped down. Johan Dubbelman (below), who has been with the shipyard for 16 years, is the interim CEO.
Bilterijst has a long career in the marine industry. After studying naval architecture at Delft University in The Netherlands, he went on to various roles in commercial ship building. He served engineering, design, sales, and managerial roles, in fact. In the 1990s, while employed by a commercial shipyard, he believed additional opportunities lay in the yachting field. He therefore presented the idea of expanding to the management team. Despite several attempts to convince them, Bilterijst did not succeed. He departed, acquiring Moonen Shipyards shortly thereafter.
Dubbelman, meanwhile, has a background as a naval architect. He began at Moonen in 2001 in the purchasing and project management departments. In 2014, Dubbelman took on the role of sales manager. He’s a familiar site at yacht shows, including the Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach shows, since then. (On a related side note, the Palm Beach International Boat Show has led to three sales over the years for Moonen.)
While Bilterijst is departing Moonen, he’s staying on as part of a transition through December. He has already sold his minority shares in the shipyard to the majority shareholder. That shareholder is Altos Hornos de Mexico (AHMSA), Mexico’s largest steel manufacturer. AHMSA became the majority shareholder within the past decade.
Moonen Shipyards’ own history dates back to 1963. That’s when it launched its first yacht in the Dutch city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch (a.k.a. Den Bosch), where it still has headquarters. In 2008, Moonen acquired a second shipyard in Groot-Amers. It’s located 31 miles (50 kilometers) from the original yard. Moonen has long focused on what’s nicknamed “pocket-size superyachts.” The majority of its deliveries to date are beneath the 100-foot (33-meter) mark. However, it’s capable of building to 150 feet (about 46 meters).
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