Gabe Newell, a video game legend, fascinates me because he’s much more than just another superyacht owner. To put it simply, he has added the aptly named Leviathan—364 feet (111 meters) in length—and the completely rebuilt Draak, at 305 feet (93 meters), to his growing fleet of large vessels and research ships. He also owns Oceanco, the Dutch shipyard that built both vessels, as well as many other large yachts, including Jeff Bezos’s 414-foot (126.19-meter) Koru.
Of course, any owner who launches a new yacht over 300 feet in length is bound to attract attention. And if that owner also launches two 300-foot vessels in a matter of months and happens to be the founder of hugely lucrative and successful video game platforms, he can exert a sort of gravitational pull on the entire superyacht industry.
PHOTO: Oceanco
But all of the above is only part of the story. In fact, I believe that what’s most fascinating about Newell—and about these two enormous new yachts that will be on display at the upcoming Monaco Yacht Show—is how it combines the most rigorous technological development with a human, collaborative approach, in every yacht he builds, the companies he acquires, and the scientific research he drives.
Leviathan and Draak were developed specifically to operate together within Newell’s Inkfish fleet, and were designed and built through a collaborative, crew-centered process that resulted in unconventional layouts.
yachts—the 364-foot Leviathan and the 305-foot Draak—are designed to sail together. PHOTO: Oceanco
“With Inkfish, we try to focus on serving the scientific community,” says Gabe. “We work with scientists to understand what they find useful, and then we explore how our technology, tools, and resources can best support their mission—whether by taking them to places they otherwise couldn’t reach, developing new technology, or providing funding to remove barriers to their research.”
Scheduled for delivery in November 2025, Leviathan is designed to enhance the experience of everyone who lives and works on board. The communal spaces create an environment that encourages interaction between guests and crew, while low-maintenance materials are designed to maximize crew productivity. Dedicated onboard facilities, including a dive center, a laboratory, and a hospital, support Inkfish’s operations.
Delivered in June 2026 following a comprehensive refit by Oceanco’s Life Cycle Support department, Draak has been reimagined for an entirely new operational purpose. Alongside Leviathan, it now supports Inkfish’s expeditions with specialized diving facilities, a capable fleet of tenders, and heavy-duty lifting systems. Many of the same design and operational principles introduced on Leviathan were also adopted on Draak.
The Monaco Yacht Show will also mark the first such event since Newell joined the Oceanco team. During his tenure at the helm, he has overseen the continued expansion of Oceanco’s collaborative ecosystem through the addition of Alewijnse and Winel, which join the specialists Aluship, Lateral, and Mercury.
“Virtually everything I’ve been involved in over the years has advanced some aspect of technology in a way that benefits customers,” says Gabe. “Our goal is to identify interesting technologies, prototype them, and bring them into production.”
Stay tuned, because there’s much more to come about these and many other superyachts that will be on display this year at the Monaco Yacht Show.
