Lindblad Expedition's purpose-built expedition cruise ships will undergo outfitting before October delivery
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Lindblad Expeditions’ new expedition cruise ship, National Geographic Venture, has touched water for the first time at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) shipyard in Freeland, Whidbey Island, Washington.
Launched from her building dock, the 100-guest vessel was slowly pushed into the water on hydraulic jacks and held in place by a barge, before she was towed to NBBB’s pier in Langley, Washington for final outfitting and sea trials. The vessel will be delivered in October 2018.
National Geographic Ventue is the second of two 100-guest, purpose-built expedition cruise vessels that NBBB has built for Lindblad Expeditions. The first, National Geographic Quest, has been operating since July 2017.
Both vessels have been 50 spacious cabins, open decks for wildlife viewing, speciality tools for exploration, and features that enable them to sail in coastal waters, shallow coves and fast-moving channels where wildlife congregates.