'Sylvia Earle' departing for sea trials, courtesy of SunStone Ships.

Next expedition cruise ship: Sea trial completion for ‘Sylvia Earle’

The ULSTEIN CX103 design, SunStone Ships’ ‘Sylvia Earle’ newbuild, has successfully completed sea trials in end October 2021. Ulstein has delivered the ship design and a comprehensive equipment package and has also been represented with a site team at the CMHI yard during the shipbuilding period.

  • The Ulstein designed CX103 expedition cruise vessel, 'Sylvia Earle'.
  • Sylvia Earle' science lab, courtesy of SunStone Ships.
  • 'Sylvia Earle' observation lounge, courtesy of SunStone Ships.
  • 'Sylvia Earle' observation lounge, courtesy of SunStone Ships.
  • 'Sylvia Earle' library, courtesy of SunStone Ships.
  • 'Sylvia Earle' library, courtesy of SunStone Ships.
  • 'Sylvia Earle' pool and Jacuzzis.
  • 'Sylvia Earle' lecture lounge, courtesy of SunStone Ships.
  • 'Sylvia Earle' mudroom, courtesy of SunStone Ships.
  • 'Sylvia Earle' as seen from the aft.
  • 'Sylvia Earle' dining room, courtesy of SunStone Ships.
  • 'Sylvia Earle' cabin, courtesy of SunStone Ships.
  • 'Sylvia Earle', a CX103 expedition ship design from Ulstein Design & Solutions AS, courtesy of SunStone Ships.

 

The Ulstein integrated equipment package includes the Brunvoll rudders, steering gears, bow thrusters, main propulsion gears and propellers, the Wärtsilä generator sets and SCR system, the extensive Aeron HVAC delivery as well as Ulstein's Integrated Automation System (IAS), the Power Management System (PMS), a power package (switchboards, bow thruster starters, drives), bridge and navigation equipment, and ULSTEIN COM (Internet, TV, telephone, PA system).
 

Want to know more about our cruise vessel designs? Watch our cruise webinars here.


SunStone's purpose-built INFINITY cruise series are all designed by ULSTEIN, based on the CX103 design. Each vessel has been chartered out to various operators and the design proves its flexibility by having been customized for each charterer's needs. The 'Sylvia Earle' will be operated by Australia-based Aurora Expeditions, the first cruise charterer to take in use the revolutionary ULSTEIN X-BOW® to cross oceans more comfortably.

According to a press release from SunStone Ships, the sea trial commenced on 17 October 2021. The sea trials consisted of five days of intense testing of the vessel's systems while underway in the south China Sea.

The cruise vessels of the CX103 design measure 104 metres in length and 18 metres in the beam, with a draft of 5.1 metres. The passenger capacity varies between 130 and 200 and the crew capacity between 85 and 115. The vessels are built to Ice Class 1A and Polar Code 6 standards and comply with the Safe Return to Port regulations. Although compact in size, the vessels hold all the services and facilities to be expected in a luxury cruise vessel: Restaurant, bar, spa, gym, lounges, hot tubs and pool, as well as numerous possibilities to go adventuring outside the vessel, such as zodiacs and kayaks.

So far, three of the INFINITY Class newbuilds have been delivered, the 'Greg Mortimer', the 'Ocean Explorer' and the 'Ocean Victory', while three vessels are in various phases of shipbuilding, the 'Sylvia Earle', the 'Ocean Odyssey' and the 'Ocean Albatros'.

Get in touch

Lars Ståle Skoge DSC4468 comp bw

Lars Ståle Skoge

Description
Commercial Director
Affiliation
Ulstein Design & Solutions AS
Lucy bw

Lucy Lu

Description
Sales & Marketing Director
Affiliation
Ulstein Marine Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd

Latest news

Launch expedition cruise ship Douglas Mawson IMG 2468
Update

Launch of the Douglas Mawson

28 November 2024: The 'Douglas Mawson' expedition cruise vessel, an ULSTEIN CX103 design, has been successfully launched at the CMHI shipyard, China. 

The Douglas Mawson, featuring the ULSTEIN X-BOW, offers high passenger comfort with her immersive bow lounge and panoramic observation areas. She meets Solas 2020 stability requirements and is tailored to client specifications, accommodating up to 300 people.

X CONNECT GUI PMS
Press Release

Introducing ULSTEIN® POWER VSG: Setting new standards in marine power efficiency

The ULSTEIN® POWER Variable Speed Generator (VSG) has been designed to optimise power generation on marine vessels by dynamically adjusting its speed to match load requirements. Together with technical measures and overall ship design, the operational results on the CSOV Olympic Boreas show a record-low 2.7-tonne fuel consumption per 24 hours during a week of DP operations. 

A birds view on Olympic Notos 20241005 Olympic Notos OCLIN 19 MARTIN GISKEGJERDE
Feature

Big fuel savings on first CSOV newbuilds with Ulstein’s TWIN X-STERN® concept

Taking bold commercial risks on novel vessel concepts with a strong focus on sustainability has made Olympic a pioneering player in the offshore energy sector. Its latest investment in a pair of new-build Construction Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) based on Ulstein Group’s innovative TWIN X-STERN® solution has paid off, with close to 50% reductions in fuel consumption and emissions to boost environmental performance.

Lars Ståle Skoge DSC4468 comp bw

Lars Ståle Skoge

Commercial Director

Affiliation
Ulstein Design & Solutions AS
Lucy bw

Lucy Lu

Sales & Marketing Director

Affiliation
Ulstein Marine Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd