REV Ocean will be the largest charter yacht, open 25% at most
The largest yacht ever to reach the charter market
REV Ocean measures 194.9m and more than 19,000 GT, which puts her ahead of the 136m Flying Fox as the largest yacht available to charter. Vard built the hull and superstructure in Norway, with exterior lines by Espen Oino and interiors by the British studio H2 Yacht Design. After leaving the shipyard she moved to Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen in the Netherlands for a long final outfitting, with delivery targeted for late 2026 and first voyages expected into 2027.
Charter listings show room for up to 36 guests across 18 cabins, run by a crew of 54. That scale reads more like a small research ship than a conventional superyacht. She was conceived as an expedition and science platform first and a charter yacht second, and she carries a submarine hangar, dive facilities and two helipads.
A quarter of the calendar for guests, the rest for science
The owner, Norwegian businessman Kjell Inge Rokke, has set aside roughly three quarters of the vessel's time for scientific research and about a quarter for charter and other use. Net income from those charter weeks is earmarked to help fund the marine research and conservation work the yacht was built to carry out. Rokke has described the vessel as a platform for gathering knowledge rather than a private toy.
For a charter client the science hardware is the draw. The yacht is fitted with a deep-diving submersible and a remotely operated vehicle rated for the deep ocean, alongside working laboratories, a dive center and an auditorium for briefings. A booking here is closer to buying access to a floating research institute than to a week of pure leisure, and the planned itineraries reflect that.
No rate yet, and very few weeks to sell
Burgess holds the charter mandate, and a weekly rate has not been published. Context sits at the top of the market, where Feadship's hydrogen-powered Breakthrough lists from about EUR 3.5m a week and Lurssen's Kismet from around USD 3m. Whatever REV Ocean asks, the harder constraint for brokers is supply, because only a small slice of each year is open to paying guests.
Her planned cruising also sits outside the usual charter map, with early routes pointed toward the Arctic along the Norwegian coast and later toward the Southern Ocean by way of the United States and South America. For owners weighing their own expedition builds, she is a live test of whether ocean science and paid charter can share one hull without either purpose losing out. The first bookings will show how much a UHNW guest will pay for access to a working submarine and a research program attached to the week.
What owners and crew report
REV Ocean's own CEO frames the submersible as central to the vessel's mission, not a charter toy
"Having the Triton 7500/3 onboard our research vessel truly elevates REV Ocean to a level of unparalleled opportunity. Putting three people in a transparent acrylic sphere submersible with the capacity to reach such incredible depths will certainly inspire, educate, and motivate the global community."
Nina Jensen, CEO, REV OceanThe submersible's builder ties the equipment directly to advocacy, not just depth records
"The capacity to visit such extreme depths and see things not possible any other way will dramatically enhance the experience of being aboard and create more ocean advocates."
Patrick Lahey, President, Triton Submarines
What is good, and what to watch
Strong points
- A genuinely unique charter assetNo other yacht on the charter market offers a 2,300 m-rated three-person submersible alongside working laboratories and a dive centre; the closest comparable vessels are far smaller expedition yachts without science-grade equipment.
- Real infrastructure behind the science claimREV Ocean is being outfitted under a named, dated contract with Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen and Rossilini's Four-10, not simply announced - this is a vessel in active, verifiable construction, not a renderings-only project.
- Scarcity is the productWith roughly three quarters of the calendar reserved for research, the small number of charter weeks each year gives the listing genuine rarity value that a conventional superyacht cannot manufacture.
What to watch
- No rate, no calendar, no confirmed delivery date for guestsAs of this writing, Burgess has not published a weekly rate or open dates, and the vessel itself has not yet been delivered - a charter client is booking against a 2027 expectation, not a yacht available today.
- A science-first brief limits what a charter guest actually controlsWith research use taking priority over the calendar, a charter guest is buying into REV Ocean's schedule and mission rather than dictating an itinerary the way a conventional charter booking works.
- No independent report yet exists from a paying charter guestBecause the yacht has not been delivered, every account of onboard experience so far comes from the owner's team, the shipyards or the equipment suppliers, not from an independent guest or charter broker who has actually sailed her.
Practical detail
| LOA / GT | 194.9 m, over 19,000 GT |
|---|---|
| Submersible | Triton 7500/3, named Aurelia - the first of this Triton model sold, rated to 2,300 m (7,500 ft) with a three-person capacity |
| Delivery | Outfitting underway at Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen since March 2026 under a contract with Rossilini's Four-10; delivery targeted Q4 2026, first voyages expected into 2027 |
| Charter rate | Not published; for context, Feadship's Breakthrough lists from about EUR 3.5m a week and Lurssen's Kismet from about USD 3m |
| What is not published | No build cost, no charter rate and no confirmed charter-week calendar have been released; Burgess holds the mandate but has not listed available dates |
Questions this story answers
What happened?
The 194.9m REV Ocean is on course to become the largest yacht ever offered for charter, with Burgess handling the bookings. Her owner has reserved most of the calendar for ocean science, leaving about a quarter of the year for charter and other use, so the weeks actually on sale are fewer still. For charter clients the appeal is exactly that scarcity, plus a submersible and working labs most yachts cannot offer.
What is good about it?
A genuinely unique charter asset. No other yacht on the charter market offers a 2,300 m-rated three-person submersible alongside working laboratories and a dive centre; the closest comparable vessels are far smaller expedition yachts without science-grade equipment.
What should an owner or buyer watch?
No rate, no calendar, no confirmed delivery date for guests. As of this writing, Burgess has not published a weekly rate or open dates, and the vessel itself has not yet been delivered - a charter client is booking against a 2027 expectation, not a yacht available today.
What do owners and crew report?
"Having the Triton 7500/3 onboard our research vessel truly elevates REV Ocean to a level of unparalleled opportunity. Putting three people in a transparent acrylic sphere submersible with the capacity to reach such incredible depths will certainly inspire, educate, and motivate the global community." (Nina Jensen, CEO, REV Ocean)
Who reported this?
BOAT International, Yachting Magazine, YachtCharterFleet, Burgess, Vard, Damen, Triton Submarines.
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