Wim van der Valk founded the shipyard in 1967

Wim van der Valk marked his 79th birthday in April by officially confirming his retirement, having been at the helm of the shipyard that bears his family name since its foundation in 1967. The Van der Valk shipyard is working on its largest superyacht to date and has a full order book stretching well into 2026.

Following his retirement, the founder’s shares have been acquired in a management buyout financially supported by a family of experienced yacht owners who have previously commissioned three custom superyachts – LeVen, Edge and Lady Lene – from the Van der Valk shipyard.

The management team of Enrico Theuns, Bram Kooltjes and Yoeri Bijker can leverage on decades of combined experience in the high-end yachting industry and will continue to enjoy the ongoing support of Wim van der Valk as the shipyard’s ‘President Emeritus’ and an advisor to the board.

Enrico Theuns, Bram Kooltjes and Yoeri Bijker

“The significant capital investment will enable Van der Valk to continue growing our unique niche in the market for bespoke yachts between 25-45m,” said Bijker, the shipyard’s Head of Sales.

“Having built several award-winning yachts with us, the new primary shareholders fully understand our yard’s ethos and are committed to ensuring Van der Valk retains its Dutch structure, heritage and quality. We have a solid financial future as an independent entity with various options available for further expansion. Wim’s unrivalled legacy could not be in safer hands.”

Van der Valk has firmly established itself as one of the only yards with the capacity and flexibility to build all-custom superyachts up to 45m. It has over 9,000sqm of state-of-the-art facilities at its location in Waalwijk, where it opened its seventh construction hall last November.

www.vandervalkshipyard.com