Eyal Ofer

Ofer entered business with a powerful inherited platform

Eyal Ofer is the elder son of shipping magnate Sammy Ofer, whose maritime business became one of the largest privately held shipping groups in the world. Ofer Global says Eyal joined the family enterprise in the early 1970s, long before the eventual transfer of ownership to the next generation. ^[2][1]

That background gave him a substantial operating and ownership base rather than a startup built from outside capital. The family also spent years planning the succession before Sammy Ofer's death in 2011, after which Eyal and his brother Idan led separate commercial groups. ^[2]

Eyal's contribution was to broaden the inherited platform well beyond shipping. Ofer Global credits him with leading diversification into real estate, cruise lines, hotels and banking, while Forbes describes a wider portfolio that now also includes energy and technology investments. ^[2][1]

Diversification materially increased the value of the inherited base

Forbes says Ofer Global today includes a shipping fleet of roughly 200 vessels and a global real-estate portfolio of about 120 properties, alongside stakes in public companies and private investment vehicles. Those holdings show how far the family platform expanded under Eyal's stewardship. ^[1]

The total value of the ships, properties and portfolio companies is not the same as Ofer's personal net worth because many assets sit inside operating or holding companies. His fortune reflects an inherited ownership base whose value was materially expanded through decades of diversification and capital allocation. ^[1][2]