The Norwegian shipbuilder, designer and systems supplier Ulstein has celebrated its 100th anniversary. The company was founded in Ulsteinvik, Norway, on 9 August 1917.
When Martin Ulstein and Andreas Flø flung open the doors to their small mechanical workshop in 1917 they had no [ds_preview]idea what they were destined to create. Initially conceived to repair and then reconstruct wooden fishing vessels, Ulstein mek. Verksted rapidly built a workforce, competence and influence that made waves beyond the West Coast of Norway.
By 1924 the business was representing, and installing, rapp engines, leading to assignments to provide new vessel wheelhouses and exhaust systems. In 1957 it made its mark as a modern shipbuilder with its first steel newbuild, the car ferry »Torulf«, and by 1965 Ulstein had demonstrated an ambition to extend its reach further into the maritime supply chain with the formation of Ulstein Propeller. The business was now intent on emerging as a ‘package’ supplier, providing both advanced vessels and equipment. But it was the discovery of oil in Norway in 1969 that really switched Ulstein into overdrive.
As Idar Ulstein, former CEO and Chair of the Board, and the son of founder Martin, explained in 2007, the growing interest in exploiting North Sea oil reserves led to a burgeoning demand for offshore vessels. »We received regular enquiries concerning the construction of supply vessels of American design,« he said, »but we believed that these vessels would not be particularly suitable for the prevailing weather conditions in the North Sea.«
An intimate understanding of this harsh environment, and how to refine vessels to tackle it, presented an obvious business opportunity for Idar Ulstein and his team:
»We began to develop new types of vessels in-house, splitting them into different series. Offshore vessels were in the UT700 series (UT300 denoting fishing craft). The hulls were broader and had a larger freeboard, allowing them to operate safely in rough seas.«
X-Bow and X-Stern design
Wellknown to the market is the X-Bow design, developed by Ulstein. The company now has created the X-Stern design. This concept transfers the X–BOW benefits to the aft of the ship. According to the manufacturer it provides reduced pitch motion, increased flexibility, extended operational windows in bad weather, improved crew safety, and reduced fuel consumption, with lower environmental emissions. It marks a full circle evolution of the X hull design and is particularly suited, although not limited, to the blossoming offshore wind segment.
The first X-Stern delivery was made on 23 June 2016 with the SOV (Service Operation Vessel) »Windea La Cour« setting sail.
