Nebula under way in open water off a green island, seen from ahead on her starboard bow: a light grey catamaran with an orange stripe, a dark superstructure and a mast with radar domes
Nebula under way: a grey aluminium catamaran with an orange stripe, the hangar block aft of the bridge.

Nebula

Nebula is a shadow vessel: her job is to carry, land and shelter the Airbus H145 helicopter of the 99.9-metre Feadship Moonrise, to stow the tenders, and to give the mothership's crew room for their downtime. Incat Crowther drew her aluminium catamaran hull, Kirsten Schwalgien styled her inside and out, and Astilleros Armón in Spain launched her in December 2021 and delivered her in 2022. Her 14.5 by 12 metre hangar, which takes the H145 without folding its rotor blades, is, according to Boat International, the largest on any private vessel.

68.2 m
Length overall
5,000 nm
Range at 12.5 kn
14.5 × 12 m
Helicopter hangar
21 kn
Top speed

In short

Nebula is not a stand-alone explorer but a helicopter carrier for a superyacht: her brief started with an Airbus H145, and the aluminium catamaran platform was chosen because its beam could take a full-size hangar (Boat International). That hangar, 14.5 by 12 metres and air-conditioned, holds the helicopter without folding its 10.8-metre rotor and is, by Boat International's account, the largest on any private vessel; next to it are a certified helideck, refuelling and a workshop, so guests land on Nebula rather than on the mothership's foredeck (Boat International, Boat International). She is rated for 5,000 nautical miles at 12.5 knots, can reach 21 knots, and carries a 12.3-metre catamaran tender, two RIBs and four jet skis under the helideck (Boat International, Boat International). She has no ice notation in her Lloyd's Register class, and no polar voyage has been reported (Incat Crowther).

Videos

Two tours from YouTube, most viewed first.

NEBULA, New 68m Yacht Support Vessel In Gibraltar 4KGibraltar Yachting · 17 Jun 2022 · 15,516 viewsWatch on YouTube
68 Meter Yacht NEBULA im Hafen von PulaPR-Video - KREATIVWERK · 17 Oct 2022 · 1,368 viewsWatch on YouTube

Photos

Nebula at anchor at dusk, seen from the starboard quarter: the lit helicopter hangar open on the upper deck, a white catamaran tender under the helideck and a RIB with outboard engines on the side deck
At dusk with the hangar open; the catamaran tender sits under the helideck
Looking from the helideck into Nebula's empty helicopter hangar, a white box framed in orange with ceiling lights and workbenches, and the orange deck markings in the foreground
The helicopter hangar, seen from the helideck
A white catamaran tender hanging from a beam crane over the water beside Nebula's starboard quarter, with the grey hull and orange stripe in the foreground
A beam crane sliding the catamaran tender out over the water
Low view of Nebula's stern under the overhanging helideck, with the name NEBULA, the port of registry George Town and a red ensign
The stern under the helideck, registered in George Town, Cayman Islands
Close view along Nebula's starboard side at anchor: orange life-raft canisters on the upper deck, the orange stripe and rows of windows in the grey hull
The starboard side, with life rafts on the upper deck
Nebula's sundeck under a white arch: a grey L-shaped sofa, a punch bag and fitness equipment, with a coastline beyond the rail
The sundeck lounge and open-air gym, used by the crew
The covered main deck under the helideck, with a white and grey catamaran tender on a cradle, black deck beams overhead and a staircase on the right
The catamaran tender in its bay under the helideck
Nebula's crew lounge with a curved white bar and stools, a sofa, orange-lit shelving and a ceiling of hexagonal felt panels
The upper-deck crew lounge, with its bar and felt ceiling
Inside a small soundproofed booth with orange walls, perforated lit panels, a bench and a desk with a laptop, seen through a glass door
The soundproofed phone booth in the crew lounge
A crew cabin with an orange leather headboard, a white bed, and a black and white swirled veneer on the wall behind
A crew cabin, with the Ettore Sottsass veneer behind the bed
A double cabin with a low grey bed, light grey panelling, lit edges in the ceiling and round blue and amber artworks on the wall
A double cabin
Nebula's bridge with a long dark console of screens and two helm chairs along the forward windows, and a grey sofa on a raised step to the left
The bridge

Further reading

Independent coverage we found. We link to it rather than rewrite it.

Specifications

Ice class
No ice-class notation. Her Lloyd's Register class notation (see Class) includes none, and her hull and superstructure are aluminium
In ice, in practice
No published notation rates her for ice, and no source reports a polar voyage, an ice voyage or a Polar Code certificate. Her role is helicopter and tender support for a mothership, and her reported cruising has been in open water
Class
Lloyd's Register, ✠100A1 SSC Support Yacht Craft Catamaran HSC G6, Helicopter Landing Area, ✠LMC, UMS; in class with LR as of October 2026
Role
Support vessel for the 99.9-metre Feadship Moonrise. Her main task is helicopter operations: since her delivery she has taken over most of the flying from the mothership, freeing its crew for other work. Crew from the mothership also spend their downtime aboard her
Helicopter
One certified helideck with an enclosed, air-conditioned hangar of 14.5 by 12 metres beside it, built for an Airbus H145 so that its 10.8-metre rotor need not be folded; the largest hangar on any private vessel. Refuelling and a helicopter workshop are on board. Guests who used to land on the mothership's foredeck next to the owner's suite now land on Nebula and transfer by tender 15 by 12 metres in the World Superyacht Awards citation
Tenders and toys
A 12.3-metre custom catamaran tender built by Compass Tenders ("Shadow Kitten": 34 knots, 60 cm draught, a foredeck crane and a beach-landing door, 12 to 13 seated passengers), a 10-metre Scorpion RIB, a 7-metre Pascoe rescue RIB and four jet skis, all stowed under the helideck on a 400 m² aft deck
Deck cranes
Beam cranes with 11 tonnes lifting capacity slide the tenders out over the water; the catamaran tender's hardtop lowers hydraulically to 3 metres for stowage
Support facilities
A hospital cabin, waste treatment, storerooms and a large laundry to support the mothership, plus a guest lounge and deck areas for waiting between landing and transfer
Length overall
68.2 m 67.0 m in the designer's data; 66.0 m at the waterline
Beam
15.5 m 14 m in the Boat International directory
Draught
2.45 m at the hulls, 3.65 m maximum 2.4 m in Boat International and YachtBuyer
Gross tonnage
2,136 GT
Hull and superstructure
Marine-grade aluminium catamaran, hull and superstructure
Builder
Astilleros Armón, Spain: the third ShadowCat after the 66.2-metre Hodor and the 68.2-metre Wayfinder, and, at her delivery in 2022, the largest of Armón's support catamarans
Design
Naval architecture by Incat Crowther (design IC19069); exterior and interior by Kirsten Schwalgien (Schwalgien Yacht Design). Owner's representative: Richard Pearce of Waterproof Consulting; Yacht Naval Architects (YNA), Hamburg, oversaw design development and naval architecture; interior built by Oliver Design, Bilbao
Engines
Two MTU 16V 4000 M73L diesels of 2,832 kW each, driving Servogear controllable-pitch propellers
Speed
21 kn top speed; 14 kn cruising 21.5 kn maximum and 14 kn service speed in the designer's data
Range
5,000 nm at 12.5 kn 5,000 nm at 12 kn in Boat International (2022); "8,900-nautical-mile-plus" in the World Superyacht Awards citation, speed not given
Fuel
86,826 litres in day tanks plus 201,074 litres in delivery tanks (designer's figures) 298,000 litres in YachtBuyer
Water
14,466 litres of fresh water and 14,466 litres of technical water (designer's figures) 137,050 litres of fresh water in YachtBuyer
Accommodation
Up to 38 people: six single and two double staff cabins on the upper deck, eight twin crew cabins and three single officer cabins on the main deck, plus the captain's cabin and the bridge-deck VIP cabin, the only cabin designed for guests 12 guests, 10 special personnel and 20 crew in the designer's data
Crew spaces
An upper-deck crew lounge with a bar, two meeting rooms and a soundproofed phone booth; a crew mess and gym on the main deck; a sundeck given over to recreation, with an open-air gym, outdoor cinema and yoga area
Where she has been
After her maiden voyage from the yard she arrived in Poole, England, on 14 June 2022. In March 2026 Boat International listed her among the large yachts arriving in Gustavia for the St Barths Bucket in the Caribbean. AIS placed her in Barcelona in September 2026 and at Marina Port Vell, Barcelona, in October 2026. No expedition voyage has been reported
Build history
Launched at Astilleros Armón in December 2021, after sea trials delivered in mid-2022 (Lloyd's Register date of build 3 June 2022); no refit reported Delivery month given as May (Boat International, November 2022), June (YachtBuyer) or July (Boat International, August 2022)
Mothership
Moonrise, the 99.9-metre Feadship of 2020, was listed for sale with Burgess from January 2026; Burgess announced her sale on 2 July 2026. The sale announcement does not mention Nebula
Flag
Cayman Islands (port of registry George Town)
Owner
Private owner, not named by Boat International or YachtBuyer. Registered owner in the Lloyd's Register: SC67 Holdings Ltd

Where is she now

Live AIS position on:

MarineTrafficVesselFinder

IMO 9897171 · MMSI 319229200

Questions

What is the support yacht Nebula used for?
Nebula supports the 99.9-metre Feadship Moonrise, mainly in helicopter operations: she carries, lands and hangars an Airbus H145, stows the tenders, and gives the mothership's crew space for their downtime (Boat International, Boat International).
How big is Nebula's helicopter hangar?
14.5 by 12 metres, large enough for an Airbus H145 with its 10.8-metre rotor unfolded. Boat International calls it the largest on any private vessel (Boat International, YachtBuyer).
How far can Nebula travel?
Her range is 5,000 nautical miles at 12.5 knots, and her top speed is 21 knots. The World Superyacht Awards citation gives more than 8,900 nautical miles, without a speed (Boat International, Boat International).
Is Nebula an ice-class vessel?
No. Her Lloyd's Register class notation for this aluminium support catamaran includes no ice notation, and no polar or ice voyage has been reported (Incat Crowther).
Who owns Nebula?
Her owner has not been named by Boat International or YachtBuyer. The Lloyd's Register lists her registered owner as SC67 Holdings Ltd (Lloyd's Register).
Can you charter Nebula?
No. She is a private support vessel; no charter or sale listing was found in October 2026, and YachtBuyer lists her as not for sale (YachtBuyer).

Compare with

Explorer yachts of a similar type and length in this guide.

Hodor yacht

Hodor

A 66-metre catamaran that carries the helicopter, the submarine and the toys for her mothership

Abeona yacht

Abeona

The largest support vessel Damen Yachting has built, a 75-metre shadow ship with a helicopter hangar for the sailing yacht Koru

Sources (13)
  1. Incat Crowther, IC19069: 67m Catamaran Support Yacht (Nebula)
  2. Lloyd's Register, Ships in Class (search by IMO 9897171)
  3. Boat International, The Superyacht Directory: Nebula, BOATPro data
  4. Boat International, 67m ShadowCat support yacht Nebula delivered 15 Jun 2022
  5. Boat International, Six cool explorer yachts launched in 2022 15 Aug 2022
  6. Boat International, Nebula: The 68m support vessel with out-of-this-world crew accommodation (Kate Lardy) 15 Nov 2022
  7. Boat International, Top innovative superyacht tender garage designs 15 Feb 2023
  8. Boat International, World Superyacht Awards winners 2023 20 May 2023
  9. Boat International, 8 superyacht support vessels as cool as their motherships 21 Aug 2025
  10. Boat International, The biggest superyachts to look out for at the 2026 St Barths Bucket 11 Mar 2026
  11. YachtBuyer, Nebula fleet page
  12. Burgess, 100m MOONRISE sold 2 Jul 2026
  13. VesselFinder, Nebula (IMO 9897171)