By
Rebecca Gibson |
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is to extend its charter of expedition cruise ship Hanseatic for six months to enable the vessel to continue offering voyages until the end of September 2018.
The 184-guest Hanseatic will sail two more international cruises in 2018 and leave the fleet ahead of the launch of Hapag-Lloyd’s two new 230-passenger expedition ships in April and October 2019.
Currently under construction at Vard’s shipyard in Norway, the newbuilds will be built to Polar 6 ice-class standards to enable them to cruise in both polar and warmer destinations.
“We are preparing our fleet for the future with our two new expedition ships,” said Karl J. Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. “We are very happy to have largely bridged the gap before the launch of the first ship, by extending our charter for the Hanseatic. This is the best decision in terms of both cost-effectiveness and offering availability to our guests.”
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has not revealed which line will take ownership Hanseatic.