The steel-aluminium hull was built in Papendrecht in the south of the Netherlands and is now being fitted out by Feadship at its Aalsmeer site. The specifications for the interior design come from Danielle Boutsen. The wife of the Belgian ex-racing driver of the same name, Thierry Boutsen, runs a design studio in Monaco.
According to Feadship, the owner has immense exploration experience and plans to sail both the Northwest and Northeast Passages. In the ice, he does not want to take the risk of damaging a movable side fin and instead has the hull movements compensated by a GM600 from Gyro Marine. This gyroscope weighs 21 tonnes and stabilises the 55-metre format with a maximum torque of 1000 kilonewton metres. By way of comparison, the Italian engineers "only" installed a GM300 on "Utopia IV" (63 metres). Nevertheless, fixed elements that resemble short bilge keels can be seen on the ice-class hull.
Two MTU diesels, each with an output of 1080 kilowatts, will propel Project 708 up to 14.5 knots. At twelve knots, a range of 5500 nautical miles is forecast. Performance figures that can be attributed to efficient hull lines. For the design, Philippe Briand teamed up with De Voogt Architects - a team that had already achieved exceptionally high fuel efficiency for the 58-metre "Najiba" Feadship. The exterior also emerged from the computers of Briand's Vitruvius Yachts brand.
The list of special equipment includes a powerful sonar system and a 6.3-tonne submarine, which is placed on the long aft deck by a seven-tonne crane. The saloon tender and the owner's car are also on the hook.
