OCEA Gruppen AS

What OCEA Gruppen AS does

OCEA Gruppen AS (legal entity OCEA S.A.) is a privately held French shipbuilding and industrial company headquartered in Les Sables d'Olonne on the Atlantic coast, founded in 1987 and operating across four business activities: Shipbuilding (aluminium vessels for maritime safety and security, passenger transport, multipurpose workboats, transoceanic yachts, and fishing boats), Industries (custom tank ends for road tankers and industrial subcontracting including cruise-ship superstructure elements), Aids to Navigation (via the wholly-owned GISMAN brand, acquired in 2000), and Integrated Logistic Support (ILS — spare parts, documentation, training, and maintenance). The company's technical foundation is aluminium shipbuilding — leveraging the material's weight, corrosion resistance, and sustainability properties — supplemented by hydrogen-ready (H2-ready) vessel technology, with the first such vessel delivered in 2023.

The company manufactures at four production sites in France (Les Sables d'Olonne HQ opened 2014, Saint-Nazaire 1996, Fontenay-le-Comte 1999 with expansion in 2020, La Rochelle 2009) and operates a branch office in the Philippines opened in 2019. It acquired the UK-based Wight Shipyard Co. in 2022, providing a non-French production footprint. Geographic reach extends across Europe, Latin America (first delivery 2013), and Asia (first delivery 2015). OCEA is ISO 9001 certified since 2010 and is structured as a Société Anonyme with EUR 20,000,000 in share capital, under founder/private ownership with no disclosed VC or PE investors.

OCEA sells custom-engineered vessels through direct enterprise sales to government maritime agencies, naval and coast guard forces, ferry and excursion operators, offshore energy crew-transfer buyers, commercial fishing companies, high-net-worth yacht clients, and industrial customers. The revenue model is predominantly one-time sale of bespoke builds, supplemented by recurring ILS service contracts and hardware sales from the GISMAN Aids-to-Navigation line. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per contract. Reported headcount sits in the 251–500 band; no audited revenue figure has been disclosed.

Name

OCEA Gruppen AS

Legal name

OCEA S.A.

Website

https://ocea.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

OCEA Gruppen AS is a French, privately held aluminium shipbuilder founded in 1987, designing and manufacturing custom vessels — patrol boats, passenger vessels, workboats, fishing boats, and transoceanic yachts — for government agencies, naval forces, ferry operators, offshore energy buyers, and high-net-worth clients, with complementary tank-end fabrication, Aids to Navigation (GISMAN), and Integrated Logistic Support services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Shipbuilding and Marine Manufacturing

NAICS

Boat Building (336612), Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730), Miscellaneous Transportation Equipment (3790)

akta.pro primary industry

Patrol, Interceptor & Law-Enforcement Craft (Coast Guard, Customs) (IMAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Government & Municipal Service Craft (Research, Survey, Inspection, Buoy Tenders) (IMAJADAL), Aquaculture & Fish-Farm Service Vessels (Feed, Wellboats, Harvest Support) (IMAJADAF), Luxury Yacht Tenders & Support Craft Manufacturing (IMAJAMAK)

Keywords

• Aluminium shipbuilding
• Fast patrol boats
• Maritime safety vessels
• Transoceanic motor yachts
• Tank end manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Les Sables-d'olonne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Shipbuilding - Custom Vessels: Custom vessel design and construction for maritime safety, transport, fishing, and yacht applications. One-time purchase of bespoke vessels tailored to customer specifications.
2. Industries - Tank Ends & Industrial Subcontracting: Manufacturing of custom elliptical and max section tank ends for non-pressurized road tankers in aluminum, mild and stainless steel. Also includes industrial subcontracting for complex structures like cruise ship superstructures.
3. Aids to Navigation (GISMAN): Sale of Aids to Navigation equipment including floating and fixed beaconing, lighthouses, monitoring and control systems, and radio aids for navigation.
4. Integrated Logistic Support Services: Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) including technical documentation, spare parts and tools, technical assistance, and customized training for crew and maintenance teams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

OCEA designs and manufactures custom aluminium vessels — fast patrol boats, passenger vessels, multipurpose workboats, fishing boats, and transoceanic motor yachts — for government and commercial maritime customers. Beyond shipbuilding, the group produces custom tank ends for road tankers and complex industrial fabrications (including cruise ship superstructures), supplies Aids to Navigation equipment via its GISMAN subsidiary, and delivers Integrated Logistic Support services covering documentation, spare parts, technical assistance, and crew training.

Product overview

OCEA is a French shipbuilding and industrial company with over 30 years of experience, operating from multiple sites along the Atlantic coast. The company operates as a unified platform offering four core divisions: Shipbuilding (encompassing Maritime Safety and Security vessels, Passenger Vessels, Multipurpose Workboats, Transoceanic Yachts, and Fishing Boats); Industries (manufacturing tank ends and providing industrial subcontracting for cruise ship structures); Aids to Navigation through GISMAN (offering floating and fixed beaconing equipment); and Integrated Logistic Support services. OCEA utilizes aluminum construction expertise and hydrogen-ready technology to deliver competitive, sustainable maritime solutions. The company has expanded globally with deliveries across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and acquired Wight Shipyard Co. (2022) and integrated GISMAN (2000) to broaden its portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OCEA Maritime Safety & Security: Maritime safety and security vessels including patrol boats and surveillance craft
• OCEA Yachts
• OCEA Tank Ends
• GISMAN

Products and services

• OCEA Shipbuilding (Custom Aluminium Vessels) Design and construction of custom aluminium vessels spanning Maritime Safety and Security vessels, passenger vessels, multipurpose workboats, transoceanic yachts, and fishing boats for government and commercial maritime clients.
• Maritime Safety and Security Vessels Three complementary aluminium vessel ranges for naval, coast guard, and maritime security agencies: Maritime Safety vessels for EEZ monitoring, Maritime Security vessels for intervention and escort, and Auxiliary vessels for training and support.
• Transoceanic Yachts (OCEA Yachts) Bespoke aluminium transoceanic motor yacht series designed by world-renowned naval architects, providing around-the-world navigation capability for HNW owners and charter operators.
• OCEA Industries - Tank Ends Custom-made elliptical and max section tank ends and divisions for non-pressurized road tankers in aluminium, mild steel, and stainless steel.
• Industrial Subcontracting Complex industrial structure fabrication including sections of cruise ship superstructures and other large assemblies for shipbuilders and industrial clients.
• GISMAN Aids to Navigation Comprehensive range of Aids to Navigation equipment including floating and fixed beaconing, lighthouses, monitoring and control systems, and radio aids for maritime authorities.
• Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) Comprehensive and customized service package from naval and financial engineering through to maintenance contracts, including technical documentation, spare parts and tools, technical assistance, and crew/maintenance training.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Naval Group: Naval Group is the dominant French naval prime contractor building frigates, submarines, and larger combatants — a much larger incumbent whose naval patrol and OPV programs compete with OCEA for government budgets.
• Fincantieri: Fincantieri is an Italian global shipbuilding group with naval, cruise, and offshore divisions — a broader incumbent whose naval vessel portfolio overlaps with OCEA's patrol-boat and OPV offerings.
• Damen Yachting (Amels): Amels (Damen Yachting) is a Dutch builder of luxury expedition and support yachts — a direct parallel to OCEA Yachts' transoceanic luxury yacht segment.

Direct peers

• Rodman Polyships: Rodman is a Spanish shipbuilder producing aluminium patrol boats, fishing vessels, and commercial craft — competing head-to-head with OCEA for government, fishing, and small commercial vessel tenders.
• Fassmer Shipyard: Fassmer is a German family-owned shipbuilder producing patrol boats, coast guard vessels, and fast craft — directly comparable to OCEA's aluminium patrol-boat product lines and government-customer profile.
• Damen Shipyards Group: Damen is a Dutch diversified shipbuilder with a comparable mix of patrol vessels, ferries, workboats, and offshore vessels, built across multiple global yards — making it the most direct large-scale parallel to OCEA's model.
• Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN): CMN is a French shipyard specializing in patrol vessels, OPVs, and fast interceptor craft for navies and coast guards — a direct French-headquartered competitor in OCEA's core Maritime Safety & Security segment.
• Alumarine Shipyard: Alumarine is a Finnish aluminium-specialist shipyard producing patrol, rescue, and workboat vessels — closely aligned with OCEA's core aluminium shipbuilding expertise and customer profile.

Regional players

• Vard (Fincantieri subsidiary): Vard is a Norwegian/Italian builder of offshore service vessels, fishing vessels, and specialized ships — a regional peer with strong overlap to OCEA's fishing and offshore crew boat segments.

Emerging players

• Strategic Marine: Strategic Marine is a Singaporean/Australian builder of aluminium crew transfer vessels, patrol boats, and wind-farm support craft — an emerging peer competing for the same offshore wind crew transfer and patrol opportunities as OCEA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OCEA Gruppen AS