Octopus

• LOA: 126.2 m
• Builder: Lurssen
• Delivered: 2003
• Gross tonnage: about 9,932
• Design: Espen Oeino
• Hull: ice-class steel
• Range: 12,500 nm
• Signature: two submarines aboard

The explorer that redefined the type

When Octopus was delivered in 2003, she effectively created the modern idea of the giant expedition yacht. At 126 metres and built to full ice class, she combined true exploration capability with the comfort of a great private yacht. She held the title of the world's largest explorer for well over a full decade. Lurssen built a vessel that genuinely changed how owners thought about going to sea. She turned the whole idea of the expedition yacht into a serious and lasting pursuit.

The demanding brief called for genuine scientific and exploration ability standing alongside real luxury, and the yard delivered both in full. Very few yachts before or since have ever carried her sheer range of capability. Octopus proved conclusively that a private yacht could reach the very ends of the earth in style. She remains the standing benchmark for the entire explorer category she helped to create. Her long legacy went on to shape a whole generation of explorer yachts.

Espen Oeino's purposeful profile

Espen Oeino gave Octopus a robust and deeply purposeful exterior built squarely for the wildest waters. Her ice-class steel hull and full eight decks give her the substance to operate safely in the polar regions. The profile is workmanlike and quietly confident, shaped closely around her exploration equipment. She looks exactly like the genuinely capable expedition ship that she is. Her form very clearly follows her purpose in every single line.

The design carefully integrates a helipad forward and a larger landing deck aft with a hangar for two helicopters. An internal dock houses a 20-metre guest tender alongside the yacht's two submarines. Oeino balanced all of that serious capability with the real presence of a great private yacht. The exterior carries her exploration mission openly and with evident pride. The internal dock is among the most capable systems ever built into any yacht.

The explorer that located the Musashi, carrying two submarines and a studio.

Two submarines and a recording studio

Octopus is every bit as remarkable inside and below decks as she is out on the water. She carries two submarines, one of them remotely operated for reaching greater depths, along with a professional recording studio. A dive centre, a beach club and extensive guest spaces complete the picture below. The vessel was equipped from the outset for both serious exploration and genuine enjoyment. Very few private vessels anywhere have ever carried such serious working equipment.

She accommodates 26 guests across thirteen staterooms with a large and experienced crew in support. The interior runs to a cinema, a spa and generous social areas spread right across her decks. Everything aboard was built for long voyages far from the nearest port. Octopus was made to be lived aboard for weeks at a time in genuinely remote waters. The living spaces make even months at sea feel genuinely comfortable.

Ice class and a 12,500-mile range

Octopus was engineered for true self-sufficiency in even the harshest of conditions. Her ice-class hull and 12,500-nautical-mile range let her reach the polar regions and cross whole oceans without support. She was built to operate far beyond the ordinary reach of other yachts. Sheer endurance was the guiding principle behind every part of her design. Her range and endurance set her clearly apart from almost every yacht afloat.

The propulsion and systems were chosen for deep reliability in remote waters where any help is distant. Full redundancy runs throughout the length of the vessel. Her onboard equipment allows genuine scientific work standing alongside private cruising. Octopus can go almost anywhere on the planet and comfortably stay there. She was built above all to look after herself in the most remote places on earth.

For the owner who wants to explore

Octopus suits an owner whose deepest ambition is genuine discovery. She has cruised the polar regions and supported expeditions that located historic wrecks, including a famous battleship found in 2015. She is ideal for those who want to combine real adventure with the comfort of a great yacht. Her sheer capability quietly opens up the whole world to her owner. She richly rewards an owner with a genuine and lasting appetite for adventure.

For an owner drawn to the remote and the truly extraordinary, very few vessels can match her reach. She rewards deep curiosity and a real spirit of exploration above all else. Octopus remains one of the most capable and most storied yachts ever built anywhere. Her legend continues to grow steadily with every single voyage she makes. Her many voyages have already earned her a permanent place in maritime history.

Who it is for: For the owner who wants a true expedition yacht able to reach the poles while carrying submarines and a studio.