Yet another name change has been announced by the superyacht marina in Barcelona.
Ignacio Erroz the facility’s Director General has announced that it will drop the prefix One Ocean and revert to the name it used before 2015 when the prefix was first employed.
From November 2019 the marina will be known simply as Marina Port Vell. Describing the name change as a new Erroz said; “The new name identifies the project instinctively with the city of Barcelona and supports our Mediterranean attributes, with which the marina maintains a deep connection due to its unique location.”
Salamanca Group
Yet back in 2015, the Salamanca Group the privately-held Merchant Banking business who then owned it, renamed Port Vell as OneOcean Port Vell to: “Underscore its relationship to OneOcean Ventures” an organisation formed by the Salamanca Group who at the time also owned the adjacent MB92 yacht refit yard along with the US based Rybovich. The then chairman Martin Bellamy, explained away the name change saying, “If we’re going to demonstrate to the industry that we’re serious, we need to show that this business has real substance.”
Two years later the London based banking group sold the marina and MB92 to QInvest LLC a wholly-owned subsidiary of BOH LLC an investment fund beneficially owned by the Turkish Alekperov family and controlled by Vagit Alekperov.
Port Vell literally translated into English as Old Harbour is a waterfront facility in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Now part of the Port of Barcelona, it was built as part of an urban renewal program in the years leading up to the 1992 Olympic games held in Barcelona. Before then, it was a somewhat run-down and undesirable area of the city whose empty warehouses, railroad yards, and factories made it a rather notorious no go area
Rebranding exercise
Additionally as part of the rebranding exercise the “OneOcean Club” will be renamed as “Marina Port Vell Restaurant”. The name OneOcean Wellness used to describe the fitness and wellness centres in the Gallery building on the property appears to have also been dropped.
Commenting upon the name change, Ignacio Erroz said, “Our goal is to continually improve our offering for all stakeholders whether they be yacht owners, captains, crew or the local community, ensuring we provide attractive, high quality services all year round.”
He added, “All the key indicators reinforce our belief that we can continue to strengthen our position as a leading player in the Mediterranean with top quality facilities, a competitive offering and a compelling proposition for both local and international clients. Based on this solid foundation, we have a clear vision for future long-term growth, and the permanent connection with Barcelona.”