One of the most spectacular – and first – superyacht explorers built, Octopus, is being offered for charter for the first time. One more destination has been added to the final leg of the ship’s international tour, and it will take adventures where few others have been before: Antarctica.
Octopus is a superyacht explorer built by German luxury shipyard Lurssen and delivered to the owner in 2003. That owner was the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and the brief for Octopus called for a Land Rover instead of a Bentley of the sea: an explorer with ice-class capabilities and all the necessary gear, but that did not skimp on luxury.
The briefs of most of today’s superyacht explorers read the same, but these were the early aughts, and Octopus was a trendsetter. With a design by Espen Oeino and elegant interiors by Jonathan Quinn Barnett, Octopus soon became a landmark for this segment of the market and a staple of quality in the industry. The eight-deck 414-foot (126-meter) vessel was sold in the summer of 2021 after nearly two years on the market.
With a reported cost of $226 million, it is now part of Camper & Nicholsons charter fleet. This is the first time that Octopus has been offered for public charter after Allen’s ownership, and that alone is enough to make headlines. However, the addition of a new destination for Octopus is bound to renew interest in it: the explorer is heading to Antarctica. Prices start at $2.2 million per week.
This summer, Octopus sails for Central America, Northern Europe, and the Pacific. In the winter, it will depart for Central and South America, and the Caribbean Sea, with Antarctica added as the new destination on the final leg of the tour. It’s only fitting that it went there, considering its hybrid-diesel environmentally-friendly propulsion, its ice-class capabilities, and the fact that it was designed to go where no other explorer dares to go.
“[Octopus is] the perfect yacht to undertake such a voyage,” said Jacqui Lockhart, Head of Charter Marketing Europe for Camper & Nicholsons, tells the media outlet. “[It is] well-equipped to host intrepid charterers off the beaten track with a fully equipped medical suite and dive center on board – complete with hyperbaric chamber – as well as a submarine and two helipads. Octopus was truly built for explorer expeditions!”
Indeed, it was. Offering personalizable accommodation for up to 12 guests in 13 suites (imagine that) and 50 crew, it’s packed with luxury amenities, including a private screening room, a pool that converts into a dancefloor at the touch of a button, and various lounge areas. More importantly, though, it’s packed with exploring gear, from two helicopters in the garage, to seven tenders, an autonomous robotic boat (ROV), and a custom Pagoo submarine, life rafts, jetskis, and a wide assortment of water toys.
Powered by two hybrid ABB Industry AG E-Motors, Octopus has a range of 12,500 nautical miles (14,400 miles / 23,150 km) at a cruising speed of 12 knots (13.8 mph / 22.2 kph), but top speed is a more brisk 19 knots (21.8 mph / 35.2 kph).
