The Viken Group selected Kocaeli-based AES Yacht as the partner in development of a stunning 60-metre, 6,000-mile-range expedition platform called Mimer. The project has been designed and developed by TDoS Yacht, part of The Viken Group, while the AES team prepared technical specifications.
Milan-based studio Hot Lab, another valuable asset of The Viken Group, has long standing relations with the shipyard as they have three superyachts built with AES, ranging from 24m to 68m in length.
“The Viken Group is very happy about this new collaboration with AES Yacht – we have already worked with them on other projects and we are well aware of their capabilities and we know the team,” commented Antonio Romano, Commercial Director at The Viken Group. “We have chosen this shipyard because it has one of the largest facilities in Turkey with very experienced naval architects and engineers. They can provide everything in-house, from steel and metal construction to furniture and interior. Another important factor in our decision is that AES has capacity and a slot available for the Mimer project and they can build it in 36 months when an owner signs a contract.”
“We are delighted to become partners of The Viken Group on the Mimer project,” said Erdem Bicer, Shipyard Manager and Partner at AES Yacht. “Mimer is a unique explorer superyacht that provides owners with unlimited experiences all around the world. As the shipyard, we’ll ensure the superyacht quality and comfort during this adventure with our experienced team.”
The team’s ‘target client’ when they started the blank sheet design was someone in their 30s or early 40s, and who was looking for a family boat or a platform to share with family and friends.
“We have done a lot of expedition vessels before and they are all very masculine in their design,” begins Daniel Nerhagen, Partner and Yacht Director at Tillberg Design of Sweden (TDoS). “We say an expedition vessel doesn’t need to look aggressive – we wanted to create a ‘she’. That’s where we started, and then we also wanted to showcase our heritage of Scandinavian design, which is very simplified – luxurious, with the finest materials and craftsmanship, but clean and with the aesthetics of simplicity in the design.”
As they say, 60 metres is the new 50, and Mimer – named for the Norse god who protected the well of knowledge at the base of the mythical tree Yggdrasil – is the perfect size as an introduction to true explorer yachting. Any smaller and you would have to compromise on space for expedition tenders and toys, and any larger and you move into a different (and more expensive) category of yacht.
That said, Mimer’s svelte styling and highly practical features will appeal to any passionate yacht owner, particularly those who like to be able to venture off the beaten track.
To realise that ambition, TDoS has considered every facet of Mimer’s design, from the acres of glazing and bulwark glass that deliver 360-degree views from the guest saloons to the routing and functional crew aspects of the layout to ensure efficient operational capabilities.
It is here that, on top of its extensive catalogue of yacht projects, Tillberg’s experience in the commercial and cruise ship worlds comes to the fore, where the balance between form, function and fluid service is critical for commercial success. And true to Mimer’s namesake, the team has drawn not only on its own wider experience but also the wisdom, knowledge and experience of key experts, including two expedition companies and a yacht management company as well as the naval architecture know-how of Laurent Giles Superyacht Architecture.
The result is a yacht that caters for up to 12 guests – set across five luxurious main deck guest suites, and an exquisite upper deck owner’s suite that includes its own forward terrace with spa pool – while accommodating 17 crew and with space for an additional owner’s staff member. There are also exciting entertaining spaces inside and out, from a huge sundeck atop the superstructure – which makes full use of the yacht’s elevation to provide the ultimate observation deck – and up to three guest saloons, two dining areas, and a gym and beach club in the stern.
Her explorer capabilities have also been carefully considered, and Mimer is offered both with a full high-latitude hull – which is built to Polar Code Category C, Ice 1-C standards – or with a conventional hull which offers a more economical build solution for owners who don’t intend to cruise to the extremes. There are also two propulsion configurations, comprising pod drives with diesel-electric generators, or conventional engines and shaft drives, and studies are currently being undertaken to consider alternative propulsion and power solutions as they evolve.
Perhaps the biggest hint at Mimer’s aspirations comes in the extraordinary range of tenders and toys she has been designed to carry, making every cruise a true voyage of discovery. Indeed, she is offered with three variations – World Traveller, Adventure Explorer, and Air Explorer.
The World Traveller offers a helipad aft with an additional guest lounge below at main deck level, and space for an array of tenders and toys including electric luxury tender, landing craft, two expedition RIBS, quad bikes, a submersible, jet skis, and even an amphibious vehicle and a beach buggy. The Air Explorer offers the same as the World Traveller, but with a helicopter hangar in place of the aft guest lounge – perfect for high-latitude or trans-ocean cruising. The Adventure Explorer layout uses the aft lounge/hangar area as an additional tender garage, adding further capability for carrying toys such as a Range Rover, more quad bikes, and a hovercraft.
Mimer takes full advantage not only of exploring hybrid and alternative power and propulsion options, but also of drawing on sustainable principles in all aspects of its design and build. That means everything from using recycled and recyclable materials and sourcing local product, to using eco-friendly antifouling and including measures to protect biodiversity. “Sustainability is something we have been working on with commercial projects for a very long time now, and for us as Scandinavians it’s not a trend, it’s just something you do and it’s very much in our culture,” Nerhagen offers.
As well as a considered approach to impact, the initial concepts also draw on the finest Scandinavian design to suggest a bright, clean and warm interior that doesn’t detract from the world-class views and nature outside. “Scandinavian design is about simplicity, about the quality of the materials and beautiful craftsmanship, but it’s also very practical,” Nerhagen explains. “The way we design is ‘less is more’, and the way we build things is with high quality and attention to detail – it should last a long time and it’s something you should cherish and pass on to the next generation. Sometimes it can be very rustic and sometimes it can be very contemporary but it still has the same principles – it’s in the quality of the details and the materials”
“The feeling we are after is to feel at home – it has to be comfy,” Nerhagen concludes. “There shouldn’t be lots of bells and whistles and bling, because it should be somewhere you feel calm and relaxed. I think with Mimer we have really captured that.”