A steel cutting ceremony was held for the CX103 expedition cruise design, the ‘Sylvia Earle’, on 16 March 2020 at the CMHI Haimen yard, China. She has been designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions AS for SunStone Ships.
The Sylvia Earle is the sister vessel of the Greg Mortimer, which was delivered in September 2019. Operator for both vessels is the Australian cruise company Aurora Expeditions.
The Sylvia Earle is vessel number 2 in SunStone's INFINITY series, and the fourth of the Ulstein designed exploration cruise vessels under construction at this yard.
Designed with the X-BOW® hull, the vessel will provide the best possible comfort for passengers in rough head seas, as well as being fuel efficient.
On 11 March 2026, Ulstein Verft, Norway, delivered the Windea Carnot, a Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV). The vessel was built on behalf of an institutional investor and has now been handed over to its new owner, Bernhard Schulte Offshore (BSO).
Ulsteinvik, Norway, 10 March 2026 – Jan De Nul has selected a customised vessel design from Ulstein Design & Solutions AS for its latest addition to its offshore fleet. The realisation of the trenching vessel marks a milestone in the collaboration between two leading maritime innovators. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2028. The basic design is based on a robust and globally proven subsea vessel design.
As offshore oil and gas developments become more complex, operators are rethinking how fields are designed, operated, and supported. For Aker BP, this shift is clearly visible in the Yggdrasil development, the largest ongoing project on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.