Page 28: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2026)

ENGINEERING

Photo credit: Tony Hall

A DEFINING MOMENT IN

NAVAL ARCHITECTURE:

The ? rst model of the

ULSTEIN AX104, featuring the revolutionary X-BOW® hull, undergoes rigorous testing at the Marintek basin in Trondheim in 2005. The trials proved that the inverted bow eliminated slamming and kept the bridge deck dry even in extreme sea states.

The researchers in Trondheim took precautions before starting skeptics feared would be a technical failure became a prize- the machinery. “They mounted a Styrofoam plough on top of the winning triumph. The design went on to earn “Ship of the model and wrapped the measuring equipment in plastic,” Ruud Year” honors in both Norway and abroad in 2006, as well as remembered. “At the time, they had little faith in the concept.” the prestigious “Engineering Feat of the Year” award.

When the tests were completed, however, the warnings While the awards provided con? dence, the true validation proved baseless. While researchers had expected high came from those working at sea. The ship’s steward reported waves to climb the hull and impact the bridge deck, the back enthusiastically: “I no longer have to call the bridge to model remained stable and buoyant. The slender bow al- ask them to slow down when I’m making dinner; the pots stay lowed the hull to move gently through the waves without on the stove!” slamming, and the water was displaced along the side in- Another striking proof of the hull’s superiority surfaced stead of being thrown upward and outward. In the end, there on YouTube in 2007. A mobile phone video, ? lmed from the was not a single drop of water on the protected equipment. bridge of a supply ship in the rough North Sea, captures the contrast: As a traditional vessel hammers against the waves— crashing into the water, forced to slow down signi? cantly—

From Invention to Innovation “An invention only becomes an innovation when it suc- the Bourbon Orca appears in the frame. It glides through the ceeds commercially,” Ulstein emphasized. “The X-BOW swells without the characteristic slamming, effortlessly pass- didn’t spring from a ? nished problem de? nition, but from ing the conventional ship.

pure curiosity and a willingness to take detours. And then, you need a customer who dares.” Resilience & Pivot

That customer was Bourbon Offshore Norway. “They were Since 1999, Ulstein Design & Solutions has delivered 169 brave,” Ulstein added. “They challenged us based on some designs. This portfolio includes 122 vessels featuring the origi- sketches they had seen in our customer magazine. Their primary nal X-BOW, a number that rises to 132 when including its suc- motivation was the desire to differentiate themselves.” cessors, the X-STERN and TWIN X-STERN.

In 2006, the ? rst X-BOW vessel, Bourbon Orca, was But the journey was not always smooth. When the oil cri- launched from the shipyard in Ulsteinvik, Norway. What sis hit in 2015, the maritime landscape was devastated; many 28 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • April 2026

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