The next step towards Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' new expedition fleet has been taken with the keel laying of the HANSEATIC nature.
The upcoming ship is scheduled to be christened followed by her maiden voyage in April 2019.
"It is a great pleasure to watch the development of our first expedition new-build. In the shipyard, as well as in the Hamburg office, many experts in their specialist field, are working daily on completing the two vessels. With our new expedition vessels, we will soon be able to offer very unique travel experiences" said Karl J. Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, in a press release.
The HANSEATIC nature's keel was laid at the VARD shipyard in Tulcea, Romania on June 20, 2017. Pojer was on hand to place a ceremonial coin in the steel block, where it was permanently welded for good luck. Altogether, the keel is comprised of two blocks each weighing 33 tons and measuring 9 meters in length, 11 meters in width and 1.5 meters in height.
HANSEATIC nature will be the first of two new expedition ships for Hapag-Lloyd. Next, a cruise overview will be published in August 2017, and the first brochure will be released in January 2018. After HANSEATIC nature launches in April 2019, HANSEATIC inspiration will come online during October 2019 in service of international markets.
Reservations for both ships will begin in August 2017 with confirmations by January 2018.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Builds Towards New Expedition Fleet[/READMORE]
Characteristic of both environmental vessels will be five-star onboard experiences, PC6 ice class ratings and guest capacities of 230 (up to 199 guests on Antarctica voyages). The ships will be able to explore not only polar regions but tropical ones such as the South Seas and the Amazon as well. Sixteen eco-friendly electric-driven Zodiacs and E-Zodiacs further facilitate expeditions.
Fincantieri subsidiary VARD Group is building the new ships beginning with their hulls at the Romanian shipyard in Tulcea prior to being towed to VARD Langsten in Norway for final outfitting.
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