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.
The cable-laying vessel Nexans Electra, the offshore wind service vessel Windea Carnot, and the energy subsea construction vessel Rem Pioneer have been built at Ulstein Verft and Myklebust Verft, respectively, both of which are part of the maritime cluster in northwest Norway. All three vessels are now nominated for “Ship of the Year”.
For vessels in operation, it is essential that systems perform optimally many years after delivery. During a recent service assignment in Brazil on Sea1 Marataizes, Ulstein Power & Control sent one of its most experienced service engineers, together with one of its newest, to ensure knowledge transfer and continuity.
Ulstein Group recorded revenues of NOK 3.0 billion and an operating profit of NOK 219.2 million in 2025.