Wight Shipyard, the British facility particularly known for fast ferries but also some yacht contracts, may soon be under new ownership. It’s merged with France-based Ocea, another yard that mixes commercial and recreational construction.
Ocea is in Les Sables d’Olonne, just north of La Rochelle, a well-known area in yachting. Ocea builds offshore patrol boats, workboats, and hydrographic-research vessels. In the early 2000s, Ocea created Ocea Yachts, launching a custom yacht that drew inspiration from the well-known commuter yachts of the early 20th century. (The name “commuter yachts” came about because New York titans of business used them to travel between their homes on Long Island and their offices in the city.) That Ocea project became the first of an entire Commuter range, including the Ocea Commuter 50.
Similarly, Wight Shipyard has its roots in different maritime sectors, too. The facility, on the Isle of Wight, dates back to 2010. Then, it went by Shemara Refit, since it was managing the restoration of Shemara, the famed classic yacht from 1938. In 2016, it rebranded as Wight Shipyard Company, reflecting its broader experience particularly with fast ferries. In fact, since then it has made a name for itself constructing all-aluminum fast ferries for British and international clients. Even with that, though, yacht contracts still remain. Arksen selected Wight Shipyard to build the Arksen 85 series (above), which has two hulls in build.
In announcing the merger, Wight Shipyard and Ocea reference leveraging their strengths in fast ferries and the offshore renewable-energy sector. Peter Morton, Wight Shipyard’s CEO, says, “We have been working with Ocea on a number of projects, and it was very clear from the outset that we complemented each other in terms of skills and experience.”
Roland Joassard, Ocea’s CEO and founder, agrees that the working relationship has been successful. “Wight Shipyard shares the same DNA, passion, and high quality of workmanship as Ocea,” he says.
The merger should be complete by next month. Wight Shipyard anticipates doubling in size as a result, too. Neither shipyard, though, has indicated any change in plans for the yacht projects.
Ocea Yachts ocea-yachts.com
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