By
Elly Yates-Roberts |
Expedition travel company Quark Expeditions celebrated the steel-cutting of its new ship on 28 January 2019. The vessel, which will be made from entirely recycled construction materials, aims to offer passengers increased onboard comfort and has been designed to reduce environmental damage.
The ceremony took place at Brososplit shipyard in Croatia. Senior executives from both companies attended, including Andrew White, president of Quark Expeditions; Tomislav Debeljak, CEO of DIV Group; and Zoran Kunkera, CEO of Brodosplit.
“Every aspect of the ship has been built with one thing in mind: continuing to redefine what is possible in polar adventure,” said White. “We’ve created a ship unsurpassed in its class, not only by partnering with industry leaders like Brodosplit and LMG Marin, who are as committed as we are to pushing the boundaries, but also by consulting with our own polar experts and expedition leaders, who know better than anyone else what guests want out of their polar experience.”
The new ship, which will enter service in 2020, is 128 metres long and will accommodate up to 200 passengers in 11 different styles of cabin. Guests will also be able to use the ship’s spa and fitness facilities, as well as indoor and outdoor dining venues.
“This ship will be more than just a ship,” said White. “It will be an unrivalled operational base for polar adventures. Our guests travel with Quark to maximise their expedition experience, push their boundaries and revel in the magic of the polar regions. With this new ship, in the hands of the most experienced expedition team in the industry, we will get our guests further into the polar regions, seeing and doing more of what they have to offer, in a vessel of exceptional comfort.”
The ship’s design will also reduce its environmental footprint through a water treatment system, waste handling, a heat recovery system that reuses excess energy, and the use of entirely recyclable materials to construct it. The ship’s dynamic positioning technology will mean that an anchor will not be necessary, helping reduce damage to seabed ecosystems.
“The polar regions are both spectacular and unforgiving,” said White. “Our new ship will take people there safely and comfortably while giving them experiences to cherish forever and allowing them to appreciate the purity and majesty of nature without disturbing it.”