Ever proving that the future of cruising is in the expedition segment, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises continues to push ahead on its own new-build construction progress.
Just last month, the line begun initial steel cutting on HANSEATIC nature, one of two new 5-star ships along with HANSEATIC inspiration.
"After an intense planning stage, we are very pleased to commence HANSEATIC nature's construction process with the first steel cut. The segment of expedition cruises currently offers enormous potential and with two new additions to our fleet next to the very popular BREMEN, we are well positioned for the future" says Karl J. Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, in a press release.
Cutting started at the VARD shipyard in Tulcea, Romania on May 9, 2017, marking the beginning of an overall two-year build period for the ship. The ceremony involved Roger Vassdal, Senior Vice President for VARD's operations passing a steel silhouette of the ship to the cruise line's board of directors.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Forget Ocean and River Cruises: The Expedition Boom Is Next[/READMORE]
The ship's keel laying is scheduled for June 2017, while its christening and launch are set for April 2019. Sister-ship HANSEATIC inspiration is anticipated only half a year later to serve international markets come October 2019. Otherwise, both ships will be identical to each other.
Norwegian VARD Group is a subsidiary of Italian Fincantieri. After the hull is finished in Romania, it will be towed to VARD Langsten in Norway. There it will complete its final outfitting.
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HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration will include a guest capacity of 230 each (limited to up to 199 guests on Antarctica sailings). They will comply to PC6, the highest ice class for passenger ships, which will allow them to safely navigate polar regions in addition to tropical areas. The ships will additionally be equipped with sixteen Zodiacs and E-Zodiacs with eco-friendly electric drive systems.
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