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Ragnar, the Rags-to-Riches Story of a Supply Ship Turned Explorer Superyacht

In the upper tiers of superyacht ownership, you don’t get that many rags-to-riches stories and that’s most probably due to the fact that one-percenters who can afford a superyacht commission it to be built from scratch.
Ragnar is an explorer superyacht, a conversion from an industrial supply ship 20 photos
Photo: Burgess Yachts
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Ragnar stands out. Ragnar is one of the few explorer superyachts with an ICE Class A1 superhull, a most luxurious and well-stocked vessel, and the ugly duckling that grew into a real stunner, having started its life as a supply vessel working the oil fields in Kazakhstan under the moniker Sanaborg. Its story is truly one for the fairy-tale books.

Ragnar was built in 2012 as Sanaborg, an industrial supply vessel. By 2017, it had been abandoned and forgotten in the Netherlands, until its current owner came along and saw the massive potential it had. Not only had Sanaborg seen little travel in its short life (under 5,000 nautical miles), but it was big and sturdy, ideal for arctic explorations in the utmost luxury, with a little tinkering.

Ragnar is an explorer superyacht, a conversion from an industrial supply ship
Photo: Burgess Yachts
The full-blown conversion was done by the ICON Yachts shipyard and was not without challenges, as Leon de Haas, ICON’s project manager, reveals in an August interview with The Robb Report. They were all overcome because the new owner was determined to turn it into an explorer superyacht, one that would be able to go where no other superyacht dares or is able to, but sacrifices nothing in terms of comfort. He also didn’t want to wait for at least four years for a shipyard to build him a new one.

Repurposing the industrial vessel carried multiple advantages.

“The vessel was designed to be self-supporting, so she can be repaired by her crew in the most remote areas,” de Haas explains. “That contrasts with most pleasure yachts that cruise the Mediterranean, where all you have to do is click your fingers and a maintenance team shows up from shore.”

Ragnar is an explorer superyacht, a conversion from an industrial supply ship
Photo: Burgess Yachts
Classed with arctic explorer capabilities and full ice-breaking functionality, Ragnar can travel at temperatures of -31 degrees Fahrenheit (-35 degrees Celsius) at a speed of 4 knots and through ice as thick as 20 inches (50.8 cm). It also comes with a range of 6,000 nautical miles, which means it can travel to the most remote areas of the planet – though it was built to head out on polar expeditions.

Accommodation on board the 68.2 meter (223.8 foot) vessel is for 12 guests in 8 cabins, including double owner’s suites. There is a superyacht area with massage room, sauna, steam room and foot spa, ski storage, swimming pool and jacuzzi, fully-equipped gym, observation lounge, office, and a large indoors dining area. Everything is finished in a somber, masculine style, with medieval and modern influences. There is a lot of leather and hardwood floors, wood paneling and dark shades, but the overall feel isn’t stuffy.

According to Burgess Yachts, which has Ragnar for charter (at $525,000 a week), exploring all the toys on board would take you at least a week. That’s because Ragnar was fitted for long-term expeditions not just in terms of being able to carry fuel and provisions for weeks, but also with the gear necessary for proper explorations.

Ragnar is an explorer superyacht, a conversion from an industrial supply ship
Photo: Burgess Yachts
There’s a helipad and an Eurocopter EC145 helicopter in storage, a Luxury Ripsaw EV2 (that’s the tank that Kanye West also has on his Wyoming ranch), two ice-breaker tenders, a submarine for three, two laser sailing boats, Seabobs, four jetskies, four snowmobiles, and a variety of all-terrain vehicles, including what looks like a Sherp ATV. In short, all you have to bring on board is your sense of adventure and Ragnar will take care of the rest.

Ragnar started sea trials in May and was listed for charter in August. It was available for charter in the Mediterranean in September, and will travel to the Caribbean and Bahamas in the winter. It is yet to take its owner on their first polar expedition, but you can bet it will be a memorable one.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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