Brokerage house Ocean Independence has touched down in The Middle East. The firm, which specializes in yacht sales, charter, new build, and management, has announced the opening of its 16th branch at Dubai Harbour Marina, adding to its worldwide roster of offices – with other locations including Monaco, Fort Lauderdale, Athens, and Mumbai.

Overseeing operations in the Dubai branch will be a two-man team led by Group Director Sebastian Dumitrescu, who holds a wealth of experience in the UAE leisure marine sector. Joining Dumitrescu is Bogdan Borascu, who will oversee sales and marketing.
“Ocean Independence is one of the world’s leading brokerage houses and I am very proud to have been given the trust of the company. Dubai and the entire United Arab Emirates are a very important market in yachting, which I will serve in the best possible way with and for Ocean Independence. I see great potential in every business area, be it sales, charter or management.” said Dumitrescu.

On strengthening their presence in the region, CEO of Ocean Independence Peter Hürzeler comments: “The Arabian region was still missing from our office network, even though we have already concluded numerous deals in the region and have a good network. However, being able to gain a local partner like Sebastian Dumitrescu will take our presence to a new level. I am very pleased with the extremely professional set-up and look forward with confidence to our first joint appearance at the Dubai International Boat Show.”

In September 2024, the brokerage house underwent a corporate restructuring when it appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) André Mahr, and longtime mainstay Toby Maclaurin, who was promoted to Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) after 16 years at the Swiss-based company.