Ocean King Brings Commercial Operations In-House Under the Ballarin Family

Ocean King has announced a new management structure that puts the Ballarin family in direct control of the shipyard's commercial activities and client relationships. The change follows the end of the yard's collaboration with an outside brokerage agency, and Ocean King says the goal is a more direct, more personal relationship between the yard and its clients.

Based in Chioggia, near Venice, Ocean King specializes in the construction and commercialization of explorer yachts. Under the new structure, CEO Alberto Ballarin takes direct responsibility for the yard's commercial relationships, including its relationships with brokerage companies. Ocean King has been clear that direct control doesn't mean working alone. The yard continues to operate through a small group of brokerage partners, Denison Yachting among them, and plans to add partners in the specific geographic markets that matter to its business.

The rest of the structure is split across the family:

• David Ballarin leads production at the Chioggia shipyard
• Marco Ballarin handles project management, order fulfillment, and strategic procurement
• Riccardo Ballarin serves as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
• Giorgio Ballarin oversees logistics and corporate organization
• Giulio Ballarin manages corporate communications and marketing

Bringing manufacturing and commercial operations under one roof is meant to give clients more continuity and more direct access through the build process, with the same people involved from the first conversation to delivery.

The Chioggia site itself is operated by Adriatic Shipyard, which shares the facility with Ocean King. The yard is midway through an infrastructure investment program of more than €12 million running to 2028. Around €7 million of that has already been committed, covering a 500-tonne travel lift, paving of the operational areas, and the acquisition of adjacent land.

Ocean King's current workload is concentrated on commercial vessels in the 70 to 80 meter range, across both new construction and refit, alongside the yard upgrade itself: new build halls, a new quay, and the new travel lift. The yard has described that sequencing as deliberate, doing the heavy infrastructure work now so it doesn't have to happen later with an owner's project already on the shop floor.

New yacht models are in development, and the team will be at the Monaco Yacht Show with a new line to sit alongside the ranges already in the portfolio.

Denison Yachting has represented Ocean King across North, Central, and South America since March 2025, covering the Ducale and Doge series and the Explorer range, with the yard's capacity to develop custom projects well beyond those models. Read the original partnership announcement here.