Meet REV Ocean: The Biggest Yacht Ever Built Has a Day Job
At nearly 640 feet, REV Ocean will become the largest yacht in the world when she's delivered later this year — but she wasn't built just for vacations. She was built for science.
When REV Ocean is delivered later this year, she'll take the title of largest yacht ever built, surpassing every other superyacht on the water, including Azzam. Built in Norway, she stretches nearly 640 feet and was designed with a purpose far beyond luxury cruising.
Onboard, REV Ocean carries a suite of research facilities that would be more at home on an oceanographic vessel than a private yacht: multiple science labs, a submarine hangar, a 3D printing facility, and even a metal shop capable of fabricating spare parts while at sea. A three-person submarine housed onboard is capable of diving to depths of 2,286 meters — roughly a mile and a half straight down.
That doesn't mean the vessel skimps on comfort. Alongside the lab spaces, REV Ocean features a tennis court, a pool, a spa, and accommodations for 36 guests supported by a crew of 54.
Here's the twist that sets her apart: REV Ocean will be available for private charter, and that charter revenue goes directly toward funding the vessel's ongoing research efforts. The yacht belongs to a Norwegian billionaire who has pledged half his fortune to environmental causes, effectively building a vessel where guest vacations help bankroll ocean science.
The setup has sparked genuine debate in the industry over whether REV Ocean even qualifies as a yacht in the traditional sense, since a yacht is technically defined by its recreational purpose. Research vessel with five-star amenities, or superyacht with a research habit? However you classify her, REV Ocean is set to redefine what the largest vessel on the water can actually do.
