The mammoth 363-foot Leviathan superyacht has been delivered to her billionaire owner, Gabe Newell, worth $11 billion. It must be a delighted moment for the video game tycoon who commissioned this grand vessel, but it is also an equally euphoric moment for the team at Oceanco, as it is dubbed their most comfortable yacht ever designed, built, and delivered. Leviathan, meaning a giant sea monster, will now dominate the high seas after successful sea trials off the coast of Stellendam in the Netherlands. Unlike an extravagant pleasure craft, this Oceanco beauty will stand out for being a people- and purpose-first megayacht.
This philosophy is visible in several elements, starting with a glass panel in the main staircase engraved with the names of nearly 3,000 contributors. To make this an effective working ecosystem, designed to support everything from world-class hospitality to scientific research, Leviathan has been conceptualized to perfection. A fully equipped dive center, laboratory, and onboard hospital occupy the space traditionally reserved for a beach club.
The third-largest yacht ever built by Oceanco by length replaces the bridge-deck aft saloon with a dedicated gaming lounge featuring fifteen stations and racing simulators, plus a communal dining space for fifty-four people for the cofounder of Valve Corporation, the company that gave the world games like Half-Life, Counter-Strike, and more. How could his headquarters at sea, Leviathan, not flaunt a gaming room, especially when gaming is very much a part of his daily routine?
The 4,970 GT vessel is made for a purpose, not for parties alone, which is why the details and materials used are incredibly well thought out by Mark Berryman Design. Leathered and honed stone finishes were selected for their durability and ease of cleaning, while natural wool carpets were chosen for their resilience and low maintenance. To avoid constant repetitive cleaning and maintenance, practical calls were made, such as using bead-blasted stainless railings and synthetic handrails to reduce the need for polishing. Even the off-white exterior paintwork was selected to help minimize cleaning. Beyond these fixtures, the decking boasts a specially developed compound for the luxury vessel, created by Bolidt, Oceanco, and the crew to improve heat dissipation.
Speaking of the crew, they were involved from the early design stages and have the support of a very generous owner. As a result, the crew areas are unusually generous, with warm-toned finishes plus a crew gym, whirlpool, and even a half-court-style basketball space to keep morale up on long expeditions.
The engineering beneath Leviathan is just as intentional as the spaces above deck. Leviathan is equipped with two ABB DO980P Azipods that prioritize exceptional noise and vibration comfort, while a 5.5-megawatt-hour battery system enables silent nighttime operation. “We built a full-scale mock-up of all components and measured noise levels,” says Deniz de Koningh, Project Director at Oceanco. “These results were used to fine-tune our acoustic models, which we then applied across the entire yacht. This level of research and optimization has never been done at this scale before.”
Lateral’s DE-series hull, developed and tank-tested with MARIN, gives Leviathan very gentle motion and a stretched roll period for noticeably calmer behavior at sea. Now delivered, Leviathan joins Inkfish, an organization run aboard Gabe’s fleet of vessels that support scientific research and marine exploration, beginning the voyages she was truly built for.
