A new superyacht support vessel concept has been launched on to market from Auckland based Diverse Projects. The team claim they have designed a vessel which combines the most-effective features of support vessels in service today . With limited purpose built support vessels on the market, up to the 500GT mark, Diver Project reckon the ATLAS concept could be a groundbreaking option for owners.
Atlas, the naval architecture of which is advanced and which is ready to build on request, has been created by a team experienced in converting commercial vessels into superyacht support vessels.
Atlas takes the knowledge the team at Diverse Projects, New Zealand, has gathered through extensive work with superyacht owners creating support vessels, and combines all common requirements into one, purpose-built vessel.
“We have been very fortunate to see both the benefits and shortcomings of what the incumbent industry can offer. With the knowledge that owners are wishing to push the duration of their voyages to more remote places, while still being able to cater for every possible activity, we started our design process not from a blank sheet but from knowledge of vessels currently in service,” says Diverse Projects’ John Vitali.
Atlas has been designed based on Diverse Projects’ experience of what owners most commonly ask to be added – or removed – from their charter yacht support vessels. With a hull designed for ultimate steadiness, it has multiple loading stabilities and is designed to come in under 500GT.
“After a number of iterations with our chosen design office, which has one of the most efficient hull form databases, and 
thousands of hours of design work, we firmed on the platform which is now Atlas,” continues Diverse Projects’ Lars Bjorklund.
The Atlas package offers an efficient, stable, DP1, high load carrier with package options to add on modules like heli-decks, large A-frame, tender ramp, submarine garage, media/science containers and other extras often required for support vessels, and the team is ready to start work on an Atlas project immediately. Having been designed specifically for purpose, Atlas will be a very efficient high load carrier of both liquid and deck cargo platforms.
The Diverse Projects team were the project managers who were tasked with the conversion of Damen Sea Axe Umbra into a comprehensive support vessel for 56-metre research vessel Alucia – a yacht which had also been refitted by Diverse Projects. The team is currently converting another Damen Sea Axe; Advantage into a support vessel, and the project, six months in the making, was one Diverse Projects was thrilled to bring to New Zealand shores.
With experience stretching across many refit projects, as well as new build, the Diverse Projects team has an awareness of the time and cost involved in adding or subtracting elements from an existing vessel. Reducing that time and cost is the driving principle behind Atlas. The Atlas package is fully customisable according to owner requirements with additional elements that can be added to ensure it fully fits the owner and mothership’s needs.
“It’s a transformer,” Lars Bjorklund finishes. “A purpose-built base boat, stripped down to basics allowing the owner to add the elements needed, to create the most cost-effective, high-yielding support vessel available.”
Please make an appointment with directors John Vitali and Lars Bjorklund to be introduced to Atlas at the Monaco Yacht Show.
Specifications
Length overall: 44M
Length on waterline: 44M
Beam overall: 14M
Max permissible deadweight 200T
Water draft (half load): 2.8M
Air draft (nominal including mast) 16M
Displacement (light ship) 350T
Displacement (heavy ship) 550T
Total tankage capacity 220,000L
Accommodation: 12-18+ PAX
Total deck area: 266M2
Main engines 2 Caterpillar, 2360HP at 1800RPM
Maximum speed 20 knots
Range at 17knots 6,000 NM
Dynamic positioning Navis Engineering
Source Diverse Projects