First look inside the rebuild of 61m Omnia

The 61-metre former pilot vessel Omnia has revealed her new look as she joins the brokerage market following a comprehensive 14-month refit.

Omnia started life at the Amels shipyard as one of a trio of pilot vessels built for the Dutch Navy in 1974. She was converted into a superyacht by Vosper Thornycroft in England in 1999 under the supervision of BMT Nigel Gee, where she was fitted with a helicopter deck and hangar as well as stabilisers.

She then became Akula under the ownership of Jonathan Faiman, co-founder of the successful Ocado online grocery delivery business, who continued to revamp and refit the vessel and took her on an expedition around the world. 

She was most recently sold in 2020 and her new owner embarked on a 14-month rebuild at the Atlas Shipyard, encompassing structural, mechanical and cosmetic work to the value of $14,000,000. She now joins the market with Seara Maritime and has only been used privately since her initial conversion. 

British studio H2 Yacht Design was called in to reimagine the superstructure and soften her commercial look with an all-new wheelhouse, new sheerline, new main deck and new exterior decks. The main hull remains mostly unchanged apart from slightly increasing the height of the bulwarks and adding around 50 new windows. But to create a suitable sundeck area, the refit did away with the helipad, stern garage and the numerous pillars that supported them.

The upper deck was rebuilt in aluminum and the original funnel arrangement in steel was remodeled in aluminum (for a weight saving of more than 4,850 pounds). “The other obstacle we had to overcome concerned the fact that this was built as a proper work boat – and that meant low ceiling heights, numerous beams and columns and a rabbit warren of dark corridors," Horsfield told BOAT International.

A new and much brighter interior is the work of Greek design studio Karageorgiou with light wood panelling and a subtle nautical theme with pops of deep blue. As Akula she could accommodate 10 guests in five cabins; Omnia boasts seven cabins and can sleep 16 guests and house 20 crew.

The owner's suite spans nearly the entire width of the main deck with forward views through more than a dozen windows. A king-size bed and horseshoe-shaped soga completed the space, while other amenities on board include a massage room and cigar humidor with contemporary art from the owner's personal collection scattered throughout.

Three Deutz 600hp diesel-electric engines connected to a single screw propeller give Omnia a cruising speed of 11 knots, while her fuel capacity is sufficient to provide a range of 6,500 nautical miles.