Where No Superyacht Has Gone Before: A Look at Oceanco and Timur Bozca’s 105m Expedition Yacht, Esquel

Luxury transport design is rarely about the vessel. Just ask yacht designer Timur Bozca; for 2015’s Young Designer of the Year, it’s about where the experience takes you; most noted for high-performance, futurist concepts like the Cauta sailing yacht and Black Swan, Bozca divines yacht concepts that are highly original yet, deceptively simple; unveiled at this year’s Dubai International Boat Show (DIBS), Esquel—a 105m diesel-electric expedition yacht, is Bozca’s first launched project with Oceanco; and it may be the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

That Oceanco collaborates with world-acclaimed designers to bring state-of-the-art, never done before concepts to life is a boon for Bozca. Esquel’s launch comes amid historic wins for the custom yacht builder.

At the 2019 Design & Innovation Awards, Oceanco’s 90m DAR took home the coveted ‘’Judges’ Commendation Award for Best Technical Achievement’’, while their 106.7m Black Pearl received honors for “Best Naval Architecture for Sailing Yachts.” Both Black Pearl and DAR also took home the highest honors at the World Superyacht Awards gala last month in London.

Oceanco 105m Esquel Exterior. Photo: Timur Bozca Design

Esquel takes its moniker from a meteorite found near Esquel, a Patagonian town in the Northwestern part of the Chubut province in Argentina. Made of solid metal and translucent crystals, Esquel, the meteorite, is an alluring combination of elements found in a rare destination, hence the concept. Enter Timur Bozca.

“The inspiration for Esquel was a space rocket,’’ Bozca says. “Esquel represents a new revolutionary type of multi-purpose superyacht:  the perfect blend between expedition vessel and sophisticated superyacht, combining pure luxury and comfort; her lines are high-tech and chic; and while Esquel will not be headed to outer space, she will be capable of journeying to the most remote corners of planet earth; Esquel is a go-anywhere vessel comfortable in the Mediterranean or the Arctic Circle.”

Esquel Expedition Yacht, Greenland. Photo: Timur Bozca Design

Whether it’s camping overnight at some lush, ice-capped UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Greenland, desert camel trekking or kayaking the fjords of the Arabian peninsula in Oman, or canoeing up rivers and swimming with dolphins in Papua New Guinea, any and every option is available to the owner.

Esquel, MD (main deck): Photo: Timur Bozca Design

“Esquel,” Bozca continues, “is an extreme expedition yacht capable of breaking the ice and weathering heavy seas in any hemisphere. She is also equipped with a state-of-the-art compact diesel-electric propulsion architecture, allowing for a top speed of 16.5 knots and a cruising range of 7000 nautical miles at 13 knots, even in polar regions.”

Esquel, aft glass deck. Photo: Timur Bozca Design

The vessel offers a 230 square-meter tender garage, fast rib boats, varietal tenders, watersports toys, and diving gear; an expansive uncluttered main deck, measuring 200 square meters, has an aft deck glass superstructure with an enclosed pool and wellness area with panoramic views; this deck also offers plenty of space for accommodating locked containers of any sort and additional tenders; and… get this: Esquel is capable of deploying two submarines, a land vehicle, off-road motorbikes, as well as a helicopter, and is equipped with a laboratory for scientific experiments and exploration.

Timur Bozca Interview, Turkey. Photo: Timur Bozca Design

‘’I also conceived Esquel as a vessel for people interested in marine life and extremely keen on exploration studies. There is an option to create reef farms (onboard); this is to contribute to the preservation of natural sea flora. Esquel can also investigate the atmosphere, the ocean, and the seafloor. A test facility for clean marine energy can be on board for marine suppliers to test fuel cells, or to deploy other emerging technologies, in real-world environments.”

Esquel Expedition Yacht, Exterior view. Photo: Timur Bozca Design

In the end, only 80% of the world’s yachting takes place in 20% of the world’s oceans. Of that, what is actually beneath the ocean accounts for just 5% of what we know. With so many vessels in play, there is still so much to discover. What Oceanco and Timur Bozca—alongside stylist Gina Brennan, Lateral Naval Architects and Engineering, and Pelorus—represent, vis-a-vis Esquel, is not just the masterful interplay between advances in superyacht design and style, one the one hand, and advances in extreme adventure and private exploration, on the other.

If we could all agree that the Esquel concept represents is a form of unrivaled aquatic primacy–something the Dutch may know a thing or two about–we will happily sit and await her delivery.