Prior to the sea trial various tests will be carried out, including start-up of the propulsion system, testing of the tower and crane.The X-BOW® and X-STERN® offshore wind vessel will be working as a Service Operation Vessel for GE Renewable Energy on the Merkur Offshore Wind Farm off the coast of Germany.
Follow the progress of this hybrid vessel from design to delivery.
The hull for yard number 323 arrived at Ulstein Verft on 6 December 2025. This marks another milestone in the construction of our next-generation offshore wind service vessel, which is the tenth TWIN X-STERN CSOV since 2022. The vessel is based on Ulstein’s proven SX222 design platform.
Aurora Expeditions' Douglas Mawson was officially named in Sydney on 27 November 2025 before embarking on her inaugural trip to Tasmania. This milestone marks history as the first expedition vessel featuring Ulstein’s X-BOW® design to operate in Australian waters. More than a striking visual signature, this pioneering hull shape represents a breakthrough in maritime engineering.
Guiding a nearly 150-metre-long newbuild vessel out of the dock hall with less than one metre of clearance on each side, while the wind presses from all directions, leaves no room for error. It demands meticulous planning, absolute precision, and a team that knows exactly what to do.