Oceanco Leviathan Wins Robb Report Best of the Best Gigayacht 2026

What to Know First

• Oceanco’s Leviathan (project Y722) is a 111-metre, 4,970-gross-tonne displacement motor yacht delivered in November 2025, designed from the outset as a long-term living ecosystem for owner, guests, and crew rather than a conventional luxury retreat — winning Best of the Best in the Gigayacht category at the Robb Report Monaco and Côte d’Azur gala in summer 2026.
• Owner Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve Corporation, also acquired Oceanco itself in 2025, creating one of the most unusual owner-builder relationships in modern yachting.
• The design team spans Oceanco (exterior), Mark Berryman Design (interiors), and Lateral Naval Architects, with owner representation by YTMC and Y.CO.
• A diesel-electric propulsion system with advanced energy storage enables extended low-emission operation, supporting both leisure and research-grade scientific activity.
• A glass panel in the main staircase bears the names of more than 2,000 individuals who contributed to Leviathan’s design and construction.

Design and Philosophy

Leviathan’s design brief is the reason she won. Where many superyachts of comparable scale function as private residences that happen to move across water, Leviathan was conceived as a vessel intended to sustain genuine long periods at sea while serving every person aboard.

Crew accommodation was elevated to a standard rarely seen at any size: dedicated gyms and wellness areas, quarters configured to strengthen team cohesion, and a material palette selected explicitly to reduce repetitive maintenance. Composite capping rails, composite decks, and full-height glass bulkheads replace conventional high-upkeep yacht materials. Interiors feature honed stone and natural wool carpets, chosen for durability as much as appearance. Systems architecture was engineered to suppress noise and vibration to an exceptionally low level, producing what observers who have been aboard describe as one of the quietest yachts of her scale currently afloat.

Guests are accommodated across 11 suites for up to 22, including four VIP cabins and a full-beam master suite with its own study and dressing room. The priority throughout is effortless daily life, not visual spectacle.

Multi-Role Capability and Propulsion

Leviathan’s dual function as both cruising platform and scientific research vessel was explicitly cited by the Robb Report jury. The technical infrastructure aboard supports research-grade activity in ecologically sensitive waters — a capability that places her at the forward edge of what a modern gigayacht can be.

Her diesel-electric propulsion system, supported by advanced onboard energy storage, enables extended periods of low-emission operation. A high-standard wastewater treatment system completes the environmental package. The 92.8-metre Draak, originally built as project Y709 and now repurposed as a dedicated support yacht, operates alongside Leviathan as a coordinated marine platform capable of covering extended cruising ranges and expeditionary programmes.

Signature Details

Beyond the technical brief, Leviathan carries several features that give her a distinct identity. A unique tri-fold beach club deploys to open the yacht to the sea for swimming and watersports. After dusk, turquoise LED tracery maps her exterior lines and prismatic geometry, producing a night-time signature that reads as unmistakably contemporary.

The most quietly significant detail is a glass panel set within the main staircase, bearing the names of more than 2,000 individuals who collaborated on the yacht’s design and construction. The Oceanco-designed Leviathan logo is engraved into the panel and reveals itself only when viewed at certain angles. Newell has spoken of the piece as a way of recognising the collective human effort behind the project — and it has become one of the defining objects aboard the vessel.

Why Collectors and Owners in the Gulf Are Watching Oceanco

The Robb Report Monaco and Côte d’Azur gala is one of the most closely watched occasions in the annual yachting calendar. Leviathan’s win places her among the year’s most noted deliveries, alongside the Wajer 55, Navier’s electric foiling yacht, and the newest Four Seasons superyacht.

For GCC clients commissioning at this scale, Leviathan’s approach carries a practical argument. Wim Verhoeff, Oceanco’s Sales Director, framed the yard’s position simply: “I think we are quite lucky that we built a portfolio that attracts people who want to do something differently.” Oceanco, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Alblasserdam, specialises in bespoke vessels above 80 metres. Its portfolio includes Jeff Bezos’ Koru, Bravo Eugenia, and Nord. Leviathan is the fullest expression yet of what the yard means by building something that lasts.

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