Urk refit and rebuild yard with roots in 1798, sold to Hong Kong in 2022 and back to a Dutch owner in 2025, lengthening and rebuilding 25 to 65 m yachts.
Jan 2025Build30 m Ursus relaunched after a 6 m hull extension
Mar 2025OwnerZhongying sells 100% to a Dutch entrepreneur
Feb 2026DealUS representative appointed for 30 to 65 m refits
Jul 2026Top seatCEO Kortmann leaves to run Van der Valk; new owner-director and sales director
What it adds up to. Two owners and two chief executives in four years; the yard's CEO moved to the next yard and took the model with him.
Who runs it
Managing director, Balk Shipyard
Sales Director, Balk Shipyardsince 2026
Operational Director, Balk Shipyardsince 2024
Organisation. Owner-director with an operational director and a sales director
What it shows for a new yard. The two-person model under an owner at the smallest scale: an operational director and a sales director.
Former leaders now elsewhere2 people who held a top or senior seat here
now Chief Executive Officer at Van der Valk Shipyard
now Director Kaag Shipyard at Royal Van Lent Shipyard
The top team as read on LinkedIn10 people read as staff, October 2026
A new owner-director over an Operational Director (2024, from Vitters project management), a Sales Director (Jul 2026, from brokerage), a production manager (from Vitters), a sales engineer who was a yard manager elsewhere, a project manager and a head of administration.
Balk is a 20-person refit and newbuild yard on Urk whose top changed twice in 2026: the CEO left to run Van der Valk and a new owner arrived with a brokerage-born sales director. The pair of operational director plus sales director under an owner is, again, the two-person model.
Seats and dates are as the people describe them on LinkedIn; a person who moved in the last months can still show the old seat. Tap a person for the profile and the reading.
Candidates at Balk Shipyard2 in the pools; the shortlisted first, then by tier and score
* Commercial leadership30%Sales Director @ Balk Shipyard (Jul 2026 – Present); Sales Director @ Lengers Yachts
* Yacht network20%Yacht Broker @ De Valk Yacht Brokers (2004)
* Technical and pricing20%No evidence in the profile.
* Business building20%Director Jongert International @ Jongert bv (2014-2016)
Leadership maturity10%No evidence in the profile.
Reading. Since Jul 2026 beside his own Monaco firm; sales director at Van der Heijden, Arie de Boom and Lengers, Jongert international director, broker since 2004. A brokerage-born seller.
Career
Sales Director · Balk Shipyard Jul 2026 – Present
Director · NL Marine Sarl Jun 2015 – Present
Gérant · NL Marine Sarl Jun 2015 – Present
Verkoopmanager · Van der Heijden Yachts Oct 2024 – Oct 2025
Sales Director · Arıe De Boom Marıne Mar 2014 – Dec 2016
Director Jongert International · Jongert bv May 2011 – Mar 2014
Sales Director · Lengers Yachts Dec 2006 – May 2011
Facts and news, with sourcesthe research behind the overview
Show the facts and the dated news with their sources
Identity
Full name: Balk Shipyard (trading name; legal entity name not found). The yard's own site calls itself "A Royal Standard in Yacht Recrafting. Since 1798.". source
Founded: 1798 in Elburg by Sijbrand Balk, building wooden fishing boats (SuperyachtNews, 2025-03-03). Other sources give 1764; the yard itself uses 1798. source
Headquarters and yard: E. Bakkerkade 1, 8321 KC Urk, Netherlands (one site). Moved from Elburg to Urk in 2004. source 1source 2
Planned move: the yard plans to move to the new Port of Urk eventually (Omroep Flevoland, 2025-03-06). source
"Royal" title: trade press says the yard received a Royal designation (honorary title from the Dutch Crown) in 2002. source 1source 2
Ownership history.
Family-owned for 224 years until 2022; Daan Balk (7th generation) was 100% owner and managing director. source
2022-01: sold to Zhongying International Holding Group (Hong Kong investment firm), 100%. Same source.
2025-02-26: 100% of shares sold to an unnamed Dutch entrepreneur who works in daily operations (SWZ Maritime, 2025-03-04). Omroep Flevoland (2025-03-06) names the buyer as Allard Borleffs, an investor in small and medium-sized businesses with no shipbuilding background. Only one source names him.
Sister brands: none found.
Size
Employees: about 50 permanent staff; the workforce roughly triples in the season with temporary staff and contractors (SuperyachtNews, 2023-07-05). source
Employees: about 50, all kept on after the sale (Omroep Flevoland, 2025-03-06). source
Revenue: not found (private company, not published).
Boat International Global Order Book: not found. Balk is mainly a refit and rebuild yard and does not appear in the order book rankings found.
Product
Core business: refit, rebuild and "recraft" (major rebuilds with hull extensions) of superyachts from 25 to 65 metres (SWZ Maritime, 2025-03-04). source
Facilities: lifting system for yachts up to 65 m and 1,000 tonnes (SWZ Maritime, 2025-03-04).
Hull materials: steel and aluminium work (refit); historically wood (SuperyachtNews, 2025-03-03).
New build: occasional full-custom projects and hull or superstructure sections for other yards (Feadship, Heesen) according to older trade press. Best-known: the classic schooner Mikhail S. Vorontsov (about 64 m; wooden hull built by Dream Ship Victory in Türkiye, outfitted and launched by Balk in 2013-02). source 1source 2
No series or semi-custom lines.
Notable deliveries 2023 to 2026.
Emerald (ex-Legacy V, 1990 Feadship): arrived 2021-10 at 48.6 m, stern extension to 50.4 m, 16-month rebuild, redelivered 2023. source 1source 2
Ursus: sub-24 m Acico explorer rebuilt with Mulder Design, new bow and stern (+6 m) to about 30.4 m, diesel-electric propulsion; launched 2025-01, delivered 2025-11. source
Leadership
CEO: Evan Kortmann, as of 2026-02-06 (quoted as CEO). source
Appointed CEO 2023-07-05; earlier Chief Commercial Officer (from about 2022), ex-director of Sevenstar Yacht Transport, founder of We Ship Yachts. source 1source 2
Warning: Boat International reported on 2026-07-06 that an Evan Kortmann was appointed CEO of Van der Valk Shipyard (Waalwijk), succeeding Enrico Theuns. If this is the same person, he has left Balk, and no successor at Balk was found. source 1source 2
Non-executive director and advisor: Daan Balk, as of 2025-03-06 (still involved in a smaller role). source
Owner: Allard Borleffs, active in daily operations, as of 2025-03-06 (single source).
News 2023 to 2026
2026-02
Balk appoints Rick Thomas as independent US sales representative for 30–65 m refit and recraft projects; CEO Evan Kortmann quoted.marinebusiness.news
2025-11
Balk delivers the rebuilt 30 m explorer Ursus to her owner after a 6 m hull extension.boatinternational.com
2025-03
Regional press names the new owner as Dutch investor Allard Borleffs; about 50 jobs kept; long-term plan to move to the new Port of Urk.omroepflevoland.nl
2025-03
Zhongying International sells 100% of Balk to a Dutch entrepreneur (effective 2025-02-26); reasons for the sale not disclosed.swzmaritime.nl
