The Ulstein UT family converts into a four- to five-deck ice-class expedition yacht with helideck, garage, and twin-engine redundancy at a fraction of the cost of a comparable purpose-built expedition yacht.
Ulstein’s UT-series — UT-712, UT-722, UT-755 and their derivatives — defined the modern North Sea offshore supply vessel. Twin-screw, ice-class, deep tankage, large after deck, redundant propulsion, and a hull form proven over thousands of operating hours in the harshest commercial-marine environment in the world. The series is arguably the most successful working hull form ever drawn.
When these vessels come off active service, they become the most capable expedition-yacht conversion candidates in the world. The hull does not need re-engineering; what changes is the interior, the deck arrangement, and the finish.
Ice-class hulls cannot be built into an expedition yacht after the fact. They have to be there from the steel up. UT vessels arrive at the conversion yard with class, redundant propulsion, deep tankage, and a deck arrangement that maps almost directly onto expedition-yacht service. What would cost $80M+ and 36 months as a new build becomes a $40M–$55M, 14- to 20-month conversion with superior ocean capability.
UT vessels do not appear on yacht-listing portals when they retire. They move through commercial brokerage channels and direct owner-to-owner transactions. We track active and laid-up UT tonnage through our Norwegian, Dutch, and UK relationships, and surface candidates to clients who have defined a UT-based mission. Expect a 6- to 18-month search timeline for the right platform.
The hull is the work. Find the right UT, and most of the yacht’s ocean-going engineering is already done.
If a UT-based expedition yacht fits your mission, contact Paul. We will define the search criteria and surface candidates as they become available.
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