Page 27: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2026)

OSV DESIGN “None of us could give a proper answer,” admitted Tore Ulstein.

The Chair and co-owner of Ulstein Group smiled at the memory of that 2003 workshop—the catalyst for a new era.

This turning point came ? ve years after his family had sold their original design business, known for the UT designs (short for Ulstein Trading). Following the 1999 sale, Tore’s father, Idar Ulstein, announced the group would build its in- house design capabilities from scratch. Tore—an engineer with a Ph.D. in marine hydrodynamics—was tasked with leading the new team. In 2002, this unit became the subsidiary

Ulstein Design AS.

“Our strategy was clear from day one: we had to differenti- ate,” Ulstein explained. “If we had tried to compete with the established UT designs by simply matching them, we would have always been playing catch-up. Instead, in 1999, we chose to lead through innovation. We wanted customers to choose us because we brought something entirely new to the table.”

To realize this vision, Ulstein initiated a workshop in 2003 with the Oslo-based agency Abry Design. Choosing a team with no maritime background was a deliberate move. Their “outsider” perspective prompted the question; “Why does neering the bow look like that?”—along with a series of other seem- ingly “dumb” inquiries that challenged the status quo.

“What they did know a lot about, however, was the design process itself,” said Ulstein. Through these interdisciplin- ary sessions, the designers were challenged to look beyond the industry’s traditional horizon. Following the workshops,

Tore Ulstein was shown a sketch by the then 33 year old hull designer Øyvind Gjerde Kamsvåg that he found particularly intriguing. The concept was brought into the dialogue be- tween the two teams, where it piqued their collective curios- ity and challenged a century of naval tradition.

Surprise in the Tank

By 2005, the X-BOW® concept was ready for its ? rst trial in the model tank at Marintek (now SINTEF Ocean) in Trondheim.

At the time, scepticism from industry experts was palpable.

“The researchers had never seen anything like it,” re- called Tonje Øyehaug Ruud, Ulstein Group’s Head of

Communications. “

THE VISUAL EVOLUTION OF A BREAKTHROUGH:

The Bourbon Orca, the ? rst vessel to feature the

X-BOW® design, alongside a traditional hull pro- ? le. Launched in 2006, the vessel immediately piqued industry curiosity by defying a century of naval tradition. www.marinelink.com 27

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