The platform: the story behind Project MASTER

Before being reborn as Project MASTER, Ocean Ness was built to operate in one of the most demanding working environments on earth: the North Sea.

Her story is rooted in the evolution of offshore rescue vessels, the lessons of Piper Alpha and the Cullen Inquiry, and the pioneering UT vessel designs developed by Ulstein for extreme-weather operations.

As an Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel, Ocean Ness was designed around the demands of the North Sea. Her deep forefoot, high freeboard, substantial scantlings, reserve buoyancy, damage survivability and exceptional storage capacity were not features added for a yacht brief. They were requirements shaped by an unforgiving offshore environment.

These same qualities now provide an unusually strong platform for an exploration yacht. The vessel's original design offers the strength, endurance and resilience required for long-range exploration, while providing the foundations for her transformation into Project MASTER.