A decade of X-BOW

The Bourbon Orca joined the Bourbon fleet, the very first inverted-bow AHTS designed by the Norwegian ship designer Ulstein. The most obvious feature of this vessel is its slender hull water line and a smoother volume distribution in the foreship, which proved particularly suited to sea conditions in the North Sea.

“While a traditional bow vessel rises on the waves and then drops violently onto the surface of the water, an X-BOW vessel, less subject to the vertical motions induced by the waves, continues on course more smoothly, while maintaining its speed. And because it uses less fuel to get through the waves, it also helps to save energy,” said Tore Ulstein, Deputy CEO and Chief Market & Innovation Officer at the Ulstein Group.

Arnkjell Brandal, who was the first officer to command the vessel until March 2015 remembered his first impressions for Maritime Journal: “It was like a shock, paradoxically. This vessel was nothing like what I had experienced before! But I soon felt the difference, especially in traction situations: fluidity, strength and stability”.

The Bourbon X-BOW story started in 2004, when Ulstein was working with Bourbon and several industry players on a project to improve the safety of anchor handling operations. “Trond Myklebust, who at the time was Marketing Director of Bourbon Offshore Norway, challenged us: to rethink the design of parts of the vessel, including the bow,” explained Tore Ulstein. For the Norwegian designer and shipbuilder, all the ingredients required to design tomorrow’s offshore vessel were assembled: the encouragement of a customer who is a leader in its market, a constant search for innovation, and a strong partnership with leading players. “Bourbon asked us to dare… and together we did it!”

By Jake Frith