Gabe Newell Is Building a New Research Vessel Worth Over $800 Million

Gabe Newell is expanding his ocean empire.

The billionaire’s marine research organization, Inkfish, just signed a contract with Norwegian shipyard Vard for the design and construction of a new 531-foot vessel. The contract is valued at nearly 700 million euros, or roughly $816 million, making it the largest order ever secured by Vard for a single vessel. It is also the largest order of its kind for any Norwegian yard, Vard claims.

Developed by Vard’s in-house design…