New vessel will be named National Geographic Endurance in honour of explorer Ernest Shackleton
By
Rebecca Gibson |
CRIST laid the keel for Lindblad Expedition’s first polar cruise ship at its yard in Gdynia, Poland on 17 March 2018.
During the ceremony, Lindblad Expeditions’ CEO and founder Sven Lindblad placed commemorative coins under the hull to bring luck to the ship and its future inhabitants. Once completed, the hull will be moved to Norway’s Ulstein Verft shipyard so the ship can be fully assembled ahead of her delivery in the first quarter of 2020.
Lindblad also revealed that the ship will be named National Geographic Endurance in honour of famed British explorer Ernest Shackleton who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic.
Designed by Norway’s Ulstein Design & Solutions, the 126-guest National Geographic Endurance will be constructed to Polar Class 5 standards and feature Ulstein’s patented X-Bow hull to improve passenger comfort in rough weather. The vessel will also have expanded fuel and water tanks to cater for extended operations in remote areas, as well as zero-speed stabilizers to ensure stability at all speeds.