By
Rebecca Gibson |
Norwegian shipbuilder Vard cut the steel for the first of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ two new expedition cruise ships at its facility in Tulcea, Romania on 9 May.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ CEO Karl J. Pojer officially started the construction of Hanseatic Nature during a ceremony at the shipyard. He was presented with a steel silhouette of the vessel by Roger Vassdal, senior vice president for Vard’s operations in Romania.
“After an intense planning stage, we are very pleased commence Hanseatic Nature’s construction process with the first steel cut,” said Pojer. “The expedition cruises segment 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.”
Once the hulls have been constructed, the vessels will be towed from Vard’s Tulcea shipyard to its facility in Langsten, Norway for interior outfitting. Hanseatic Nature will launch in April 2019, while Hanseatic Inspiration will debut six months later in October 2019.
Identical in size and design, both newbuilds will be built to Polar Ice Class 6 and will each accommodate up to 230 passengers, or up to 199 passengers on Antarctic expeditions.
Both newbuilds will be equipped with SCR catalytic converters to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by almost 95%, and Promas rudders with a special propeller to help reduce fuel consumption and emissions. The ships’ hulls have been designed to achieve the maximum reduction in fuel consumption for the propulsion system and cut overall bunker consumption. Infra-red ice detectors will enable crew to spot ice at night and in misty conditions.
Onboard, each ship will have three restaurants, an extensive wellness and fitness area, two extendable glass balconies and a marina for watersports. This will include 16 onboard Zodiacs and E-Zodiacs with eco-friendly electric drive systems, which will be used for remote expeditions.