A 61 metre Damen commercial shipping vessel named Shelf Express has been reimagined as a luxury world explorer by Swedish designer Dennis Ingemansson.
Named Cassius, the ship has been redesigned as a "beautiful yet rugged explorer" and is born from a collaboration between C-Quest Yachts, Dennis Ingemansson and Njord by Bergman Design House.
Ingemansson was responsible for the exterior redesign of the Damen vessel and has transformed the commercial supply ship into a "genuine world explorer yacht". Key changes include the addition of two new decks - one for guest enjoyment and another to serve as a helicopter landing pad - resulting in a total of 1,500GT.
Accommodation is for 12 guests and a crew of 16 with extensive storage for toys and tenders. Below deck, guests will find a spa, a cinema and a moon pool serving a submarine. Meanwhile, Project Cassius is set to have a cruising speed of 10 knots and a range of 12,000 nautical miles.
Njord by Bergman Design House created the interior concept for Cassius using a "sustainable design strategy" to minimise the environmental impact of its build. According to the design house, the interior is "masculine yet feminine" and makes use of sustainable woods and marbles punctuated by flashes of gold.
"We follow nature not trends,” says Albin Berglund, co-founder of Bergman Interiors. “Nature is wild and powerful, yet it needs to be preserved. Every element has been thorough in each detail, sourcing and traceability."
For example, Njord by Bergman Design House worked with Oscar Ono to create the wood flooring throughout. "La Maison Oscar Ono always pays attention to preserving a precious link with nature, sustainability and traditional craftsmanship," adds Berglund.
No stranger to explorer yacht design, in 2016 Dennis Ingemansson teamed up with Pendennis on a 50 metre explorer concept named Arctic Sun.