Elite Traveler Fall 2019

elite traveler FALL 2019 77

From left Espen Oeino; The 446-ft Flying Fox , one of Oeino's latest projects; Flying Fox 's observation lounge and striking exterior hull

“More and more people want to see beyond the regular Monaco and St Tropez run; they want to discover other parts of the world. The more you see, the more you realize you haven’t seen”

a Norwegian industrialist who made his money through the oceans in one way or another: fishing, engineering, ship owning, oil and gas… and has decided to give back.” Although REV Ocean is an expedition yacht, it is also a research vessel, and the owner has made the decision to make it available to the research community, particularly to young scientists. Most research vessels are government- owned and -operated, so many scientists who get their time on board are at the pinnacle of their career, and many young scientists don’t get the same opportunity. REV Ocean’s owner “did his homework” and

realized that many large discoveries were made by junior scientists. At an astonishing 600 ft, REV Ocean is a sight to behold. Oeino explains that it started off at 442 ft, but extra space was required to add everything that the owner wanted on board, so it is now set to be one of the largest ships around: “It is a showcase of the most incredible technologies. It has a moon pool on board, which is an opening in the middle of the ship with a well that prevents flooding when the bottom doors are opened. The well is above the water line so you can launch robots, autonomous devices and submarines. The water

within a moon pool is very calm, so the operating window for launching and retrieving gear is substantially increased. This ship is destined to work in very cold weather, so it makes a huge difference being able to work inside the ship as opposed to on the deck, where it can be -25 degrees with a wind speed of 30 knots.” REV Ocean also has state-of-the-art sensors, sonar, trawling, water measurement and sampling equipment, plus two helipads so it has its own rescue capabilities as part of the Polar Code. “It is interesting though, because it is a yacht with a purpose. What we are doing now is mind-blowing.”