The Viken Group and AES Yacht partner on 60m expedition yacht Mimer
The Viken Group has partnered with Turkish shipyard AES yacht to build a new 60m (197ft) expedition yacht. Mimer will be designed by Tillberg Design of Sweden (a Viken Group company), with AES Yacht handling the technical specifications.
Antonio Romano, commercial director, The Viken Group said the firm chose Kocaeli-based AES Yacht to build the vessel based on previous projects with Hot Lab (another Viken Group superyacht design firm).
“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,” said Romano.
Another important factor in the decision was that the shipyard has the capacity, available slots and can build it in 36 months once an owner signs a contract, he added.
The design team has developed three different core designs with a helicopter pad and a myriad of tenders and toys. With the average age of superyacht owners decreasing, Tillberg Design said the team’s “target client” is in their 30s or early 40s.
According to Daniel Nerhagen, partner and yacht director, Tillberg Design of Sweden, 60m is the new 50, making Mimer ideal for an introduction to 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.
Sustainability has played a key role in the design too. Nerhagen said that Mimer not only has hybrid and alternative power and propulsion options but will also use recycled and recyclable materials, local products, eco-friendly antifouling and 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,” said Nerhagen.
“The feeling we are after is to feel at home – it has to be comfy,” Nerhagen added. “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.”
If a buyer is found soon, the yacht could be delivered in early as 2026.
