ICON YACHTS
PRESENTS
THE STORY BEHIND PROJECT MASTER
Project MASTER begins with
an exceptionally capable
commercial platform that no
conventional yacht can match.
To understand why, it is
necessary to return to one of
the most pioneering chapters
in modern naval design and
engineering—a period that
fundamentally changed the
way ships were designed to
survive and operate at sea.
Project MASTER begins with
an exceptionally capable
commercial platform that no
conventional yacht can match.
To understand why, it is
necessary to return to one of
the most pioneering chapters
in modern naval design and
engineering—a period that
fundamentally changed the
way ships were designed to
survive and operate at sea.
THE
OFFSHORE REVOLUTION
The genesis of Project MASTER is deeply intertwined with twentieth-century industrial growth and was driven by the need to create a highly specialized class of vessels capable of withstanding conditions once considered beyond the limits of conventional ship design.
1915
World War I was the first major global conflict in which oil became a decisive strategic resource. Although a handful of offshore oil fields were developed during the interwar years, offshore drilling expanded dramatically after World War II. One of the foremost regions was the Gulf of Mexico, which pioneered deepwater jack-up rigs, purpose-built crew boats and offshore supply vessels.
1958
In Europe, offshore exploration received greater legal certainty thanks to the 1958 UN Convention on the Continental Shelf, which entered into force in 1964 and established coastal states' rights over seabed resources.
1969
The first major commercial oil discovery on the Norwegian Continental Shelf—the Ekofisk field—was made by Phillips Petroleum in 1969. It proved a boon for oil-producing nations during the oil crises of 1973 and 1979, which drove up prices sharply while revolutionizing the economics of North Sea development.
1974
The North Sea discoveries demanded vessels capable of operating in some of the world's harshest offshore conditions and the flat-bottomed, shallow-draft vessels originally imported from the Gulf of Mexico struggled in the punishing North Atlantic environment. The demand for innovative, purpose-built solutions was pressing. Enter Sigmund Borgundvåg, a Norwegian naval architect at Ulstein Trading determined to rewrite the rules of offshore safety and capability.
A SEA CHANGE:
THE DISASTER THAT REDEFINED OFFSHORE SAFETY
On the evening of 6 July 1988, the offshore oil platform Piper Alpha producing vast quantities of oil and gas for the United Kingdom stood proud against the dark waters of the North Sea 120 miles northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland.
To those on board, it was just another routine shift. But deep within the platform, a condensate pump had been removed for maintenance and the temporary workaround had left the system at risk. As night fell, a chain of miscommunications allowed gas to escape into the platform. At 9:55 p.m. a devastating explosion tore through Piper Alpha, shaking the structure and instantly plunging hundreds of workers into a fight for survival. Flames hundreds of feet high lit up the sea as alarms sounded and smoke engulfed escape routes. Men who had begun the day expecting to return home suddenly found themselves trapped in one of the most terrifying industrial disasters in history. What followed was a scene of extraordinary courage and unimaginable loss. With the inferno intensifying and critical safety systems failing, many workers were forced to make impossible decisions—remaining inside the burning platform or leaping from heights of over 50 metres into the freezing
darkness below. Rescue vessels and helicopters raced toward the disaster, but the heat was so intense that approaching the platform was perilous. Through the night, Piper Alpha was consumed by explosions and collapsing steel until the once once-mighty structure was reduced to a twisted wreck. By dawn, 167 people had lost their lives, making it the deadliest offshore oil disaster the world has ever seen.
In the aftermath of the Piper Alpha Disaster the UK government established the Cullen Inquiry which revealed how a series of seemingly minor decisions had combined to create the conditions for disaster. The impact of the 1990 Cullen Report was profound. It reshaped offshore safety around the world, influencing regulations, emergency preparedness, and the development of dedicated Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels (ERRVs).
The offshore industry would never design standby vessels the same way again.
THE LEGENDARY "UT" VESSEL DESIGN
Sigmund Borgundvåg successfully revolutionized the design, engineering, and construction of specialized offshore vessels. Launched in 1974, the UT (Ulstein Trading) 700 series, with wider hulls and higher freeboards to keep crews safe in rough seas, helped establish a new benchmark for offshore vessel design. It was an absolute gamechanger. Ulstein Trading (now part of Kongsberg Maritime) made its
name as a pioneering designer of cutting-edge offshore support vessels for the North Sea oil industry in the early 1960s. More than 500 vessels have been built to the evolving UT designs and their impact reached well beyond Norway since, instead of just building ships locally, Ulstein licensed these high-safety UT designs to shipyards worldwide, fundamentally raising global maritime safety baselines.
A DEFINING LEGACY
Transforming Offshore Safety
The Cullen Inquiry mandated the need for standby vessels with enhanced rescue, recovery and emergency response capabilities. The offshore industry was swift to act, investing heavily in the development of Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels (ERRVs). It was Sigmund Borgundvåg’s UT design philosophy, together with regulatory reforms and field experience, that provided the technical foundation for the new generation of ERRVs capable of:
• Standing by offshore platforms 24/7
• Operating in severe North Sea weather
• Acting as a "Place of Safety"
• Coordinating emergency response
• Recovering survivors from the sea
The key features of these multi-role offshore safety vessels include:
• Improved seakeeping in rough weather • Powerful propulsion systems
• High maneuverability
• Large working decks
• Flexible mission capabilities
Ulstein’s ships also integrated advanced thruster systems with dynamic positioning that gave vessels exceptional maneuverability and station-keeping capability. In addition, bridge visibility was enhanced to maximize the visibility of
working decks and rescue areas.
Rather than being mere utility vessels, UT-designed ERRVs had become highly sophisticated life-saving machines, capable of withstanding the harshest operating conditions.
THE NORTH SEA:
WHERE WEATHER BECOMES RISK
“In a North Sea storm off Norway, the sea strips away any illusion of control. The ship survives because she is built for it; the crew survives because they respect it.”
The North Sea has a ferocious reputation. Lying just south of the Arctic, it spans some 220,000 square miles, separating the United Kingdom from Scandinavia and the west coast of Jutland—known as the Iron Coast for its lack of natural harbors where ships can find shelter. To the south, its shores form the northern coastlines of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. In an uneasy alliance between human endeavor and the sea, oil and gas companies have dotted its waters with offshore platforms, while developers have installed vast wind farms.
Despite its relatively modest depth, the North Sea is exposed to powerful Atlantic weather systems, especially in winter. Strong winds race across vast stretches of open water, rapidly building steep, unbridled seas beneath fast-moving low-pressure systems and creating some of the harshest operating conditions on Earth.
The tail-ends of Atlantic hurricanes whip the sea into a squally frenzy so intense that whitecaps can be seen from space, tossing ships about like unhappy corks. Frequent gales, poor visibility, freezing spray, and waves exceeding 10 to 15 metres make the North Sea one of the world's most hostile working environments. In winter, air temperatures can linger around freezing while the sea itself rarely rises above 4°C to 8°C. Here, darkness comes early, storms arrive with little mercy, and a man overboard faces a race against time measured in minutes rather than hours.
Sigmund Borgundvåg's design had created the maritime equivalent of a spacecraft's re-entry capsule: a vessel engineered not simply to endure the world's most hostile seas, but to make sustained operations within them possible.
ENGINEERING RESILIENCE:
THE ANATOMY OF AN ERRV
The story behind the development of modern ERRVs has all the ingredients of a great epic: adventure, discovery, disaster, and human ingenuity leading to a remarkable engineering achievement. The sea remains the ultimate frontier on Earth and these ships, with their mighty bows, were built to withstand immense forces. Let us take a closer look at the vessel itself.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
OF A MODERN NORTH SEA ERRV
Most vessels are designed to avoid bad weather. ERRVs are designed to go out in it. Built to protect offshore workers in one of the world's most hostile maritime environments, these highly specialized ships combine the capabilities of a rescue vessel, offshore support ship, and emergency response platform. Their specifications offer a revealing insight into the realities of working on the North Sea.
Length
Core Mission
Secondary Missions
Emergency Capacity
Rescue Systems
Aviation Facilities
Operational Requirement
50–90+ metres
Offshore installation standby and emergency response
Search and rescue, firefighting, pollution response, logistics support
150+ survivors recoverable in a major offshore incident
Fast Rescue Craft (FRC) launching capabilities, survivor recovery equipment, dedicated rescue zones
Helicopter landing deck
Maintain station and respond rapidly in severe weather and sea states
An ERRV is designed to recover, shelter, stabilize, and sustain large numbers of survivors until further help arrives. During an offshore evacuation, the overriding objective is straightforward: get people out of the water. In winter, North Sea temperatures can leave even
a healthy adult incapacitated within minutes. Once aboard a heated rescue vessel, however, the odds shift decisively in their favor. The ERRV exists to provide that crucial margin of time—the difference between a survivable incident and a catastrophe.
EVERY MASTERPIECE
BEGINS WITH A PURPOSE
When Swiss-born Micca Ferrero acquired ICON SHIPYARDS, he was determined to begin his stewardship with something extraordinary. A passionate conservationist and aspiring explorer, he believed his love of yachting should be pursued with mindfulness—while contributing positively to the planet. His first build would embody that ambition.
ICON SHIPYARDS is renowned for two defining achievements: its pioneering approach to construction — drawing inspiration from commercial shipbuilding, it became one of the first yards to reduce build times and costs by constructing different sections of a yacht independently before assembling them on site — and its explorer yacht conversions, most notably the 68m/223' Q, formerly Ragnar, and the 77m/253' Legend.
Drawing on the yard's conversion expertise and spirit of innovation, Micca's ambition was clear: to build 'the most capable exploration yacht on the planet, purpose-built for extreme cruising in absolute luxury'. There was another imperative. It had to be green.
A new build was not the answer.
Instead, he set out to find the right commercial hull—one with the strength, capability and pedigree to become something extraordinary. The reward would be twofold: a more sustainable approach, and an exceptionally attractive cost per GT compared with today's new-build prices. Every successful expedition begins with a clear objective. Micca and his team first defined the characteristics they considered essential, then entrusted a commercial shipping broker with the search for a vessel, focusing on Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels (ERRVs).
The footnote was no accident. Alongside their many technical attributes, ERRVs offer an exceptional platform for conversion and are often strikingly handsome vessels. The search had begun.
THE BRIEF
• Family yacht for safe, extended around the world voyages
• 60-70m under 3000GT
• Helicopter Touch & Go
• Dynamic Positioning
• Aft owner's suite with direct access to the exterior deck
• Owner library/study
• Priority on space with open salon
• 5 double guest cabins for charter capability
• Jacuzzi/Spa/Gym/Sauna for charter
• A multi-purpose research space
• 14 to 16 crew
It took six months for the yard's technical team and commercial shipping brokers to identify a catalogue of around 100 vessels. Over the following weeks, the list was methodically refined. In some cases, a single photograph was enough to eliminate a candidate. When a vessel showed promise — owing to her hull form, proportions and overall presence — days were devoted to reviewing technical specifications,
photographs, class records and original drawings. The process concluded with a shortlist of just two vessels. By then, the world had entered the COVID pandemic lockdown so ICON’s technical team could not conduct inspections in person. Instead, an experienced local survey team was appointed to carry out an initial assessment.
The 66m/216’ OCEAN NESS, ex-Havila Tigris, was the first to be surveyed. The results exceeded expectations. Her documentation was complete and the inspection confirmed the vessel was fit for purpose. Yet it was her presence that spoke most profoundly: her powerful bow, elegant profile and flawless proportions left no doubt—
this was the one.
OCEAN NESS was towed to Harlingen, where ICON's own team undertook a further three-day pre-purchase survey. Every system was examined. Every assumption tested. Only then did Micca give his final approval to proceed with the purchase.
BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE MODERN YACHT:
THE QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE EXPLORATION PLATFORM
If you are serious about exploration yachting, you will agree that an explorer yacht needs:
Ocean-going range and endurance -
The distance and the amount of time a yacht can travel at sea without
refueling or resupplying.
Excellent seakeeping, comfort and safety -
how well a vessel handles rough seas and keeps people safe.
Expedition capability
(including scientific) - the ability to operate reliably on long, remote missions with
limited support.
Commercial-grade engineering -
engineering built for reliable, heavy-duty, long-term use.
Reliability -
The ability of a component, a machine or a system, to perform a particular function under
stated conditions for a particular period of time.
Redundancy -
The provision of equipment or components which are surplus to operational requirements
in order to continue operation after a failure and achieved by installing multiple components, systems or alternative means of performing the same function.
Ability to operate far from marinas
Good crew accommodations
Massive stores capacity
All the above, in addition to delivering comfort, elegance, exceptional amenities, and attentive service that define the luxury yacht experience.
ENTER OCEAN NESS
The 66m/216’ hull of OCEAN NESS (former-Havila Tigris) was built in Romania by Societatea Comerciala Severnav, a complex infrastructure supporting diverse naval operations, to the UT 719-R design and then towed to the Kleven Shipyard (now Green Yard Kleven) in Norway where she was outfitted and delivered in 2001. Green Yard Kleven is probably the only life cycle shipyard in the world that can do design, building, conversion, maintenance and recycling of ships.
A purpose-built Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel (ERRV), OCEAN NESS (Kleven Verft Hull No. 289) was based on the proven Ulstein Trading UT 704 and UT 712 North Sea hull designs and certified as a ‘Group A ERRV’, meaning that she was capable of accommodating and supporting a much larger number of survivors than a standard ERRV. The ‘R’ denotes a variant of the base design indicating an advanced hull design optimized for fuel efficiency, seakeeping and offshore support operations.
Classed by Lloyds – meaning that she was designed, constructed, inspected, and maintained to one of the world's most respected maritime classification standards throughout her commercial life - the 1,864 GT OCEAN NESS (IMO no. 9224829) worked on standby and rescue duty at North Sea platforms until she was purchased by ICON SHIPYARD in 2020.
So, what features made OCEAN NESS the perfect candidate for a major conversion - in addition to her good looks.
Extremely robust structure —
OCEAN NESS was built with heavy scantlings, the collective dimensions, thickness, and profile
of all structural components that make up a vessel's hull and superstructure and enable her to withstand violent seas and gale-force winds.
Excellent seakeeping —
OCEAN NESS designed to remain operational in ugly weather rather than hide from it while providing
comfortable conditions for crew.
High reserve buoyancy —
her deep hull and high freeboard act as a critical safety buffer, keeping her afloat and stable even
if taking on water.
Large displacement reserve —
allowed her to safely accommodate emergency personnel, heavy equipment, or extra cargo
without compromising her foundational stability criteria.
Good damage-survivability subdivision —
OCEAN NESS had numerous watertight compartments as part of her structural design.
For the Technically Curious
A DEEP DIVE
INTO FEASIBILITY, SEAWORTHINESS AND SAFETY
Engineered for the demands of offshore service, OCEAN NESS' expansive aft deck and generous internal volume provided the ideal foundation for a substantial new superstructure. But that was only part of the story. OCEAN NESS was engineered for one of the most demanding operating environments on Earth. The following design features explain why.
High Bow
A high bow rises well above the waterline. For vessels expected to operate in severe weather, it is one of the most important features of the hull.
Imagine the bow driving into an oncoming wave. A low bow tends to bury itself, shipping water across the deck. A high bow behaves differently. It rises more quickly, keeping the decks drier and allowing the vessel to remain functional in conditions that would challenge many yachts.
That capability is no accident. ERRVs are designed to hold station offshore in severe
weather, often when other vessels are heading for shelter.
There is another benefit: comfort. Most owners associate comfort at sea with roll—the side-to-side motion between port and starboard. In an expedition yacht, pitch can be just as important. This fore-and-aft motion, as the bow rises and falls, has a profound effect on comfort. A bow that repeatedly buries itself creates abrupt, violent movements that are uncomfortable for guests and fatiguing for crew. A bow that recovers quickly produces a noticeably calmer, more agreeable motion.
Reserve Buoyancy
The reason a high bow performs so well is reserve buoyancy. As the bow immerses in a wave, its underwater volume increases rapidly. By Archimedes' Principle, the additional water displaced generates an equally greater buoyant force, lifting the bow
sooner and helping. It recover more quickly. This is what keeps the decks drier and enables the vessel to continue operating safely in conditions that would challenge many yachts. The vessel feels safer and more stable at sea even in heavy weather.
Deep Forefoot
The deep forefoot is the forward-most underwater section of the hull, extending well below the waterline at the bow.
While it comes with a small penalty in efficiency and manoeuvrability, the advantages for an expedition yacht are considerable. It improves directional stability, helping the bow resist being pushed sideways
by wind and waves so the vessel tracks more accurately and wanders less.
It also transforms head-sea performance. Rather than lifting clear of each wave before crashing back into the next, the bow remains engaged with the water, reducing slamming and producing a smoother, more controlled motion for guests and crew.
High Freeboard
OCEAN NESS was designed with a significant freeboard and strong scantlings. Freeboard—the vertical distance between the waterline and the main deck—is often associated with increased interior volume.
Equally important, it provides greater reserve buoyancy, enhances offshore capability and keeps the decks consistently drier underway. This means guest can stay outside in greater comfort while cruising.
Strong Scantlings
Scantlings are the structural dimensions of a ship—its skeleton. They define everything from the thickness of the hull and deck plating to the size and spacing of the frames, the bulkheads and the keel structure.
OCEAN NESS was built with exceptionally strong scantlings. Specified for the demands of offshore service, they give the hull the strength to withstand slamming loads, heavy seas, localized damage and even the occasional grounding far better than a lightly built vessel. The result is greater structural resilience and greater safety margins.
A more heavily built hull is also more resistant to fatigue, the gradual weakening of a material caused by repeated cycles of stress.
The heavier he structure, the lower the stresses it experiences under the same loads, resulting in greater long-term durability and expedition capability.
For Project MASTER, there is one further benefit—one that is fundamental to the conversion itself. Robust scantlings provide the structural capacity to create new openings, add decks, and support heavy tenders and cranes without reaching the vessel's design limits.
Before committing to the purchase, ICON verified that strength: thickness surveys were carried out, while the vessel's maintenance history, drydock records and class repair records were examined in detail. OCEAN NESS passed every review with flying colors.
Range
Range is the distance a vessel can travel before it needs to refuel. This is where ERRVs shine. OCEAN NESS can carry hundreds of tons of fuel, giving her a range that exceeds many purpose-built expedition yachts.
For Project MASTER, that means longer passages, fewer refueling stops and the freedom to cruise far beyond the well-travelled yachting routes.
Endurance
Endurance is different. It is not measured by how far a vessel can travel, but by how long it can remain at sea without needing to replenish food provisions. ERRVs are designed to remain on station offshore often hundreds of miles from port for extended periods. To do that, they require generous technical spaces and extensive storage for provisions,
spare parts and essential supplies.
For Project MASTER, this translates into genuine expedition capability. With ample storage and the capacity to remain self-sufficient for prolonged periods, her voyages are no longer dictated by the need to return to port, but by the curiosity to discover what lies beyond the horizon.
ICON did not invest in an ageing ship.
It acquired a proven seagoing vessel
and stripped her back to her essential
elements. Her hull lines, stability
calculations and structural
engineering had already earned their
credentials through years of
demanding offshore service—an
operational pedigree no new design
can claim.
The result is a platform whose most
fundamental characteristics have
already bee proven where it matters
most: the sea.
ICON did not invest in an ageing ship.
It acquired a proven seagoing vessel
and stripped her back to her essential
elements. Her hull lines, stability
calculations and structural
engineering had already earned their
credentials through years of
demanding offshore service—an
operational pedigree no new design
can claim.
The result is a platform whose most
fundamental characteristics have
already bee proven where it matters
most: the sea.
PROJECT MASTER’s voyage continues….
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