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.
Vessel conversions and re‑mobilisations demand more than drawings and calculations. Recent work on Orient Adventurer, now being prepared for cable-laying operations, demonstrates how critical in-depth knowledge of a vessel’s operational history is to deliver safe, class-approved solutions. Through Ulstein’s aftermarket services, we support complex vessel upgrades with engineering, stability, and weight expertise, including planning and executing inclining tests for conversion and life‑extension projects.
On Tuesday, 24 March, a large-scale rescue exercise was carried out off the coast of Lofoten, Norway, testing a new emergency towing system for ships. The cruise vessel MS Spitsbergen, with 150 passengers on board, the Norwegian Coast Guard vessel KV Barentshav, and the 330 Squadron’s SAR Queen rescue helicopter took part.
How can you be confident that a new vessel design will actually perform in rough seas and demanding operations? The answer lies in thorough verification, independent testing and documented performance. Recently, a new Ulstein design for a cable-laying vessel was tested in a large-scale ocean basin at SINTEF Ocean. The results delivered exactly what Ulstein seeks: confidence that the design performs as intended.