X-bow OSV (Ulstein)

An X-bow OSV is an offshore support vessel built on Ulstein’s X-Bow, an inverted bow that slopes backward instead of flaring forward, so the hull pierces waves rather than slamming over them. The shape cuts pitching, slamming, and the speed loss and bow spray of a conventional bow in head seas, which matters for North Sea anchor-handling and supply work. Ulstein introduced it on the Bourbon Orca, an anchor-handling tug supply vessel delivered in 2006 and named Ship of the Year that year. The design has since spread to platform supply vessels, construction and wind-service vessels, expedition cruise ships, and yachts, and remains Ulstein’s signature hull form.