MV Nansen Explorer

NANSEN POLAR EXPEDITIONS • EYOS

Nansen Polar Expeditions teams up with EYOS to reveal a new product that bridges the gap between classic expedition ships and the ultimate superyacht.

Words: Lauren Ho • Photography: Courtesy of Nansen Polar Expeditions / EYOS

You know you’re onto something good when your first experience of a new ship is a pristine mudroom that not only looks the part, but is practical and well-organised too. This is the room that Ben Lyons, CEO of EYOS Expeditions, also notes as his favourite, commenting that it represents the transition between the ship’s utilitarian exterior and its newly outfitted, design-orientated interior.

Built in Finland in the 1980s, MV Nansen Explorer is an ice-class ship that was originally used for Arctic research, before serving as a casino boat that sailed between Russia and Japan, and later being acquired by Norway as a military vessel patrolling Svalbard. Today, the ship is owned and operated by Nansen Polar Expeditions, who procured her with the aim of bridging the gap between smaller cruise ships and the ultimate superyacht and, as the company’s co-founder Martin Enckell says, “to create a new expedition yacht experience in the polar regions”.

As part of the masterplan, the group has smartly teamed up with EYOS Expeditions, a company bestknown for designing extraordinary superyacht experiences to some of the most remote and extreme regions on earth. “They have the ship and we have the product – the expedition management capabilities – so to speak,” explains Lyons. “We have known the Nansen team for years; we have such kinship in our philosophies so a partnership was natural.”

Billed as a special-purpose expedition vessel, the 12-guest ship has now emerged from an extensive refit, courtesy of Norwegian Marine Interior (NMI) and interior architect Åshild Von Lantz. “We had a good dialogue with the Nansen team who briefed us to create a light, Scandinavian style,” says Svein Arne Myrvold, Project Coordinator and Engineer at NMI. “Our approach is always to be functional and practical, but also aesthetically pleasing, with a strong use of materials and colours.” Von Lantz adds: “It has been a great pleasure to be a part of this work, to create something unique together with the best crew.”

The Nansen team were also keen for the design to be influenced by scenes of the polar regions taken by a series of photographers, including both Enckell and Audun Lie Dahl – another of Nansen’s co-founders who has a number of awards to his name. “Usually artwork is amongst the last elements to be added to the design, but we have done the exact opposite,” says Jojo Persson, Nansen’s Chief Operating Officer. “We have based all our colour schemes and materials on the photos.”

And so, in the ship’s cosy lounge, the blue-grey hues of the cushions take their cues from a photograph of a pair of penguins snapped by German expedition photographer Stefan Christmann, while the inviting glow of the fireplace is intensified by a striking image of a polar bear, radiant with the light of the rising sun.

The colour palette in each of the suites is influenced by scenes of the polar regions taken by a series of photographers

Lie Dahl, who shot the image, says: “This photo was taken on the pack ice north of Svalbard; a large male polar bear had just woken up and started cleaning his paws when the sun broke the horizon.”

He is also behind the award-winning photograph in the Owner’s Suite – a bird’seye-view of a huddle of resting walruses on the east coast of Svalbard. Here, the picture’s earthy brown and silvery-blue colours serve as a base palette for the room, which emerges through accessories and furnishings, such as the bed headboard, which is fitted with a standout lighting feature called The Midnight Sun.

The lighting is, in fact, a well-considered element throughout the ship, with Persson noting that it was a priority for them. This is the work of Von Lantz, who has created a warm and inviting glow by smartly placing concealed LED strips behind headboards, dressing table mirrors and, in the lounge, behind timber ceiling cornices, beneath the steps and under the bar counter. “We had a good collaboration with Åshild,” says Arne Myrvold. “She did a great job with the lighting.”

The lounge is noted as a favourite space for both Arne Myrvold as well as Enckell, who says: “Because of the ship’s former life as a casino, this room is really spacious. It is also very comfortable, the bar chairs being the only ones I know of that guests will sit in the whole night.” Like the rest of the ship’s design, the lounge is layered with light timbers, simple furnishings and a blend of textures and soft hues, elevated by copper details that emphasise clean lines and functionality, effortlessly pulling together the Scandinavian-inspired brief.

Of course, as this was a refit as opposed to a rebuild, and also careful not to lose their iceclass status, there were certain parameters that the team needed to comply with. This includes working around the existing structure of the ship for the cabins, and not being able to enlarge the windows on deck 2, which is home to the dining room. That said, the designers and the Nansen team made the most of what they could alter, smartly opting to elevate the floor in the lounge to create a platform that maximises window views, and also enlarge the windows in some of the cabins, resulting in glorious floorto-ceiling views of the rolling sea and beyond.

Elsewhere, MV Nansen Explorer is equipped with a gym, two zodiacs, an adventure hangar – filled with expedition equipment from kayaks to SUPS – a helicopter pad with a refuelling station and, coming soon, a lecture hall. With the aim to offer the ship as a support vessel, she will also be available to charter as a whole and will be running fixed single cabin departures – such as photography masterclasses and heliski itineraries to Antarctica and Greenland – throughout the year.

“This represents what we think is a new product,” concludes Enckell. “We wanted to create a great expedition ship that has a strong atmosphere of warmth. A place where you feel comfortable and very much at home, where you’ll always see familiar faces.” ON DECK Route: Polar Regions Maiden Voyage: Spring 2021 Owner / Operator: Nansen Polar Expeditions, EYOS Expeditions Interior Design: Norwegian Marine Interior, Åshild Von Lantz www.eyos-expeditions.com

SHIPPING FORECAST ON WATER

Float With Us

An overwater living concept made up of SeaPods makes the shortlist for the Radical Innovation Award.

Ideal for those who like the idea of being out on the ocean but can’t stomach bobbing up and down on the waves, Float With Us is an overwater living concept that has been shortlisted for the Radical Innovation Award, an annual competition that seeks groundbreaking ideas in travel and hospitality. Conceived by Ocean Builders following extensive research and development, the community is made up of a series of individual SeaPods that rise out of the ocean. Perched 7.5ft above the waves and constructed from a fibreglass shell atop a steel and concrete foundation, the pods offer 800ft2 of living space across 2.5 floors and comprise a master bedroom, spacious bathroom, kitchen, lounge and patio. Having successfully trialled the concept off the coast of Thailand – where the structures also served to restore a marine ecosystem beneath the waves – the first SeaPod community is under construction at Linton Bay Marina in northern Panama and is expected to debut later this year. Float With Us is one of three finalists in the design competition, the others being Waterlust, an eco-sensitive floating resort by Indidesign, and BioFrame, an architectural prosthetic that upgrades existing buildings, entered by Arno Matis Architecture. They will now go head to head to determine the US$10,000 grand-prize winner, decided by an audience vote during a virtual event in December.

Made to Measure

Souvenirs have long been part of the travel experience, often recalling memories of a trip or special moment. While some may be content with a keyring or fridge magnet, Crystal Cruises knows its passengers will be on the hunt for a more refined memento, so has partnered with Starboard Cruise Services – part of luxury goods group LVMH – to create a tailored retail experience. Featured on board Crystal Endeavor, the venture reflects the expedition vessel’s mantra of ‘Where Luxury Roams Freely’ and sells a mix of limited edition, destination-related and artisanal products, each inspired by the ship’s itineraries.

“The vision for Crystal Endeavor’s retail concept exemplifies adventurous with an element of practicality, complemented by a flexible merchandise approach that enables passengers to explore exotic, undiscovered destinations with comfort, style and craftsmanship,” says Lisa Bauer, President and CEO of Starboard Cruise Services. “This fresh approach to retail is perfect for adventure travel while maintaining the ultra-luxury standard for which Crystal is known.”

As Endeavour navigates global waters, premium brands such as Herschel Supply Co and Alpaca Apparel will offer clothing and bags for cold climates, while Swarovski Optik will provide binoculars, and as an extension of Crystal’s in-suite amenity experience, Caudalie will supply products that soothe the skin using extracts of grape.

Jack Anderson, President and CEO of Crystal Cruises, notes: “The launch of our first expedition vessel needed a retail programme that could be customised for adventurous travellers. The concept elicits exploratory shopping and accentuates the unique guest journey, with a curated selection of products setting a new standard for luxury expedition cruising.”

Dream of Winter

He’s designed scooters, superyachts and space stations, and now French visionary Philippe Starck has turned his hand to reimagining a more traditional mode of transport. Working with Marco Balich and VeniSIA – the corporate accelerator of Ca’ Foscari University, which is devoted to the development of ideas that help combat climate change – Starck has envisaged the gondola of his dreams. Though ‘Dream of Winter’ does not aim to be realistic, it will encourage exploration into new ways of constructing and powering the vessel, with all the materials used therefore durable, hi-tech and sustainable. The oar for instance is crafted from compressed bamboo, while the hull is made from laminated seaweed bio-resin, finished in a shark skintextured paint for drag reduction. It also features a sliding roof for easy boarding, a solar-powered gyroscopic stabiliser, and an optional turbine that can be charged via solar or hydropower for electric assistance. And with comfort in mind, vegan apple leather upholstery and a vacuummoulded cockpit in Corning Gorilla Glass keep guests cosy as they navigate the waterways.

Scarlet Lady, Virgin Voyages