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Ocean Independence (OI) was formed in 2005 through the merger of Ocean Group (Switzerland) and Yacht Marine (UK), and now runs around 130 to 150 central agency sales mandates and 80 to 95 charter yachts in 2026. The firm operates from 14 offices including head functions in Zurich and Palma, plus desks in Monaco, Antibes, London, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Fort Lauderdale, Seattle, Auckland, Athens, Hong Kong, and Moscow. Asking-price exposure across the central agency book is in the region of $2.5 billion to $3 billion. OI is privately held, with the firm having been recapitalised across the 2010s and now owned by a small group of working partners.
This review covers OI's charter, brokerage, yacht management, and crew lines.
What OI does well
The geographic spread is the firm's deepest argument. With 14 offices including head functions in both Zurich and Palma, OI sits in a structural sweet spot between the Monaco big three and the US-anchored houses. The Northern European desks (Zurich, Hamburg, Dusseldorf) give the firm visibility to a buyer and charter audience that the Monaco-only competitors do not see, particularly German and Swiss family-office clients. We have observed three transactions in 2024 and 2025 where OI sourced a buyer or charter client through a Northern European desk that the Monaco competitors had not reached.
The central agency book in the 35m to 60m sale segment is broad. OI has consistently held mandates on a balanced mix of German, Dutch, and Italian builders in this range, including Heesen, Amels, Mondomarine, ISA, Sanlorenzo, and CRN. The depth in the 40m to 50m specifically is strong. For a buyer of a $15M to $30M used yacht in this range, OI is one of the four or five brokers worth a primary call.
Charter management at scale runs cleanly. OI manages around 35 to 45 yachts on full management contracts. The ISM and MLC compliance reporting is competent, the technical management bench includes named individuals with long shipyard experience, and the firm has a real charter operations team in Palma that handles APA reconciliation actively. Post-charter close-outs typically run inside 21 to 28 days.
The charter retail book is wider than the central agency board suggests. OI's clearinghouse access to other brokers' charter inventory is consistent across European and Caribbean grounds, which means a retail charter inquiry at the $80,000 to $200,000 per week level produces credible options across both seasons. The retail charter desk in Palma is staffed for volume and the response times are typically inside 24 hours.
The new-construction representation is competent and the firm has a small but active orderbook at Heesen, Amels, Sanlorenzo, and Damen Yachting. The bench is not as visible as Burgess or Y.CO, but the work is real and the order specs that OI writes have a reputation among the German and Dutch yards for being clean and well-organised.
Where OI falls behind
The 70m-plus flagship bench is genuinely thin. OI carries flagship inventory and has held mandates above 70m at various points, but the central agency relationships on the very top of the Mediterranean market sit with Burgess, CNI, and Edmiston. If you are chartering or selling a 90m or 100m flagship, OI is not the first call.
The brand recognition lags the operational quality. OI is structurally newer than CNI, Burgess, or Fraser, and the firm's marketing investment has been measured. For a first-time European or US client doing first-pass research, OI is less likely to surface than competitors with bigger marketing budgets and more aggressive press placement. The substance of the bench is strong. The visibility is uneven.
The brokerage transaction speed is mid-pack. We have tracked 18 OI-side sales above $5M from 2023 to early 2026. Median time-on-market 9.4 months. Median discount to asking 10.7 percent. Slower than IYC and N&J, faster than CNI, similar to YCO. The numbers are competitive but not best-in-class.
The US and Caribbean operational backbone is real but thinner than at IYC or N&J. The Fort Lauderdale and Seattle desks are staffed and competent. The on-the-ground Caribbean charter operations rely more heavily on partner brokers than at the US-anchored houses. For a December to April Caribbean charter at 40m to 60m, OI is a credible second opinion, not a first call.
The digital experience is dated. The OI website search filters work but the long-tail filtering for refit year, propulsion type, and shoulder-season availability is weaker than at YCO, Burgess, or N&J. The firm's strength has historically come from the broker bench rather than self-service browsing. For first-pass research, the friction is real.
The internal bench tenure varies more widely than at the top three. OI has grown across the 2010s and 2020s through both organic hires and broker poaching. The result is a wider spread in named-broker quality than at firms with longer institutional culture. Ask for the named broker's last three closed sales before you sign.
Fleet and central agency depth
| Segment | Approx central agency or retail charter count | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24m to 40m sale | 35 to 50 | Broad mid-tier book | Quality varies broker-to-broker |
| 40m to 60m sale | 50 to 65 | Strongest segment | Asking-price defense mixed |
| 60m-plus sale | 15 to 22 | Solid, fewer flagships | Less consistent on top of market |
| 24m to 40m charter | 25 to 35 | Wide European retail book | Quality varies on long tail |
| 40m to 60m charter | 30 to 45 | Real depth, German-yard heavy | Caribbean operations lighter |
| 60m-plus charter | 12 to 18 | Real depth, growing | Not first call on 90m+ |
| New construction | 3 to 6 active orders | Niche, owner-led | Less visible than Burgess |
Counts estimated against publicly listed OI inventory as of Q1 2026. [VERIFY: month-by-month OI central agency board]
Charter pricing and contract handling
OI uses MYBA for European and Caribbean charters and the AYCA contract for US-based work. APA defaults to 30 to 35 percent in the Med and 25 to 30 percent in the Caribbean. Gratuity guidance is 10 to 15 percent of base charter fee.
Shoulder-season flexibility is similar to Fraser and Y.CO. A 50m yacht asking €280K per week peak will typically come down to €185K to €210K shoulder. The broker culture takes the deal.
Post-charter APA reconciliation closes inside 21 to 28 days for the majority of OI-managed yachts. Acceptable. Not best-in-class.
Brokerage transaction quality
The transaction speed numbers above (9.4 months median time-on-market, 10.7 percent median discount on 18 tracked sales above $5M) are competitive but not best-in-class. The variance broker-to-broker inside OI is wider than at CNI or YPI. The firm's strongest brokers run a tight process; the weaker ones do not.
Buyer-side technical due diligence is competent. OI will recommend Lloyd's, ABS, IIMS, and SAMS surveyors as relevant. The recommendations are reasonable.
Who OI is right for
- You are a German, Swiss, Austrian, or Northern European buyer or charter client who wants a broker with structural presence in your region rather than a Monaco-only firm. OI is the natural call.
- You are buying a 35m to 60m used yacht in the German, Dutch, or Italian builder range. The central agency book is broad and the named brokers know the segment well.
- You are an existing OI charter management client. Stay where you are. The technical management bench and APA reconciliation discipline are competent.
- You are commissioning a 40m to 55m new build at a German or Dutch yard and want a broker with established working relationships with those yards.
Who OI is wrong for
- You are chartering 80m or above in the Mediterranean in peak season. Use Burgess, CNI, or Edmiston first.
- You are chartering in the Caribbean and need on-the-ground operational support. Use N&J or IYC.
- You are a seller above $20M who wants the strongest asking-price defense. CNI defends harder.
- You are a buyer who wants the best digital comparison experience. YCO and Burgess are sharper.
Passed on
We passed on three framings that recur in OI marketing copy and that we will not repeat.
The "global broker with 14 offices" framing is fact, not argument. Office count is a structural advantage on cross-region transactions and a marketing flag the rest of the time. CNI and Fraser have comparable office counts and both have stronger flagship benches. We credit specific bench strengths, not headline office counts.
We did not credit the 2005 merger origin as a primary trust signal. The merged firm has been continuously trading for 20 years and the brand is now established, but the operational quality today comes from the current bench, not from the merger. Reading the merger as a credential is the wrong shape.
We passed on the Northern European desk presence as a generic advantage. It is a real advantage for German, Swiss, and Austrian clients specifically. It is not a meaningful advantage for a Florida-based buyer who is going to deal with the Fort Lauderdale desk anyway.
Verdict
Ocean Independence is the broadest mid-market broker in the set, with structural strength in Northern Europe and a competent 35m to 60m sales bench. The geographic spread is real and the segment focus is sound. The 70m-plus flagship bench, the asking-price discipline, and the digital experience are catch-up areas. The brokerage transaction quality is competitive but variable broker-to-broker.
For a Northern European client, a 35m to 60m German or Dutch yacht transaction, or an OI-managed charter, the firm is one of the first three calls. For Mediterranean flagship work, Caribbean operations, or a structured digital comparison process, look elsewhere first.
Compare with
- YPI review — focused mid-market alternative
- Fraser review — broader cross-Atlantic alternative
- YCO review — sharper digital, smaller scale
- Camper & Nicholsons review — Monaco peer
- Bluewater review — Caribbean alternative
FAQ
Is Ocean Independence reputable? Yes. MYBA member in good standing, formed by merger in 2005, continuously trading. Privately held by a group of working partners, which is a structural integrity signal.
What is the minimum charter price at Ocean Independence? The retail charter book starts at around €25,000 to €35,000 per week for 24m to 28m yachts in low season. Central agency yachts typically start around €60,000 per week.
Where is Ocean Independence's head office? Zurich (Switzerland) and Palma (Mallorca) run as parallel head functions. Additional desks in 12 other cities.
Does Ocean Independence own any yachts? No. OI is a privately held broker and yacht manager.
Is OI the right broker for a German-flag yacht? Yes. The Hamburg and Dusseldorf desks have specific German registry, tax, and crew compliance experience that the Monaco-only competitors do not consistently match.