Aegean Yacht are a major component in the burgeoning new build sector in the Eastern Mediterranean. Instead of luring the ultra-rich into the yachting realm with whimsical promises of grand design and next-generation technology, Aegean Yacht makes their stance perfectly clear – they build real sea-worthy, functional vessels for rational and passionate clients. The Turkish yacht builders have recently teamed up with world-renowned designer, Riza Tansu, to deliver on their joint mission of creating a fleet of superyachts that are designed for purpose rather than extravagance.

At the time of writing, Aegean Yacht are building one 66m motoryacht, a 39m sailing yacht and two 26m motoryachts – one of which will be launched in a few weeks’ time. In collaboration with Riza Tansu, they will begin building a 37m and 40m motoryacht over the next couple of months. With a history that dates back to 1976, the company have built a total of 52 yachts over the last 44 years. Fortunately for them, the yacht builders claim that they do not have a ‘space problem’, their seafront yard is roughly 40,000 sqm and includes three enormous hangars.

Speaking to SuperyachtNews, Riza Tansu explained, “I am a believer in simplicity, I just don’t believe in trends. I think this way is the way to go in yacht building and it’s what 97 per cent of our clients are looking for. So they are not looking for some crazy interesting design with lots of hidden features and all that James Bond-ish stuff. Our client profile is slightly different. They are people who know the yachting world, they are usually car collectors with a very high taste. They want simple, seaworthy, practical, minimalistic designs.”

This approach to building yachts is a refreshing one in the grand scheme of the industry, although they are not the oldest shipyard in Europe, they do boast a team that has been working together in harmony for decades under the expertise of their founder – Sinan Ozer. 

The majority of their workshops are in-house and even the subcontractors are businesses which were born out of the Aegean Yacht name. Ozer is of the opinion that it is their efficiency, resilience, and speed that has bought them their reputation of always delivering yachts on time.

Riza Tansu

Speaking on the reason for the company’s long-standing success, Ozer stated,…