6 9 with its plan for the Infinity-class ships, with the construction of the remaining vessels currently being completed at China Merchants Heavy Industry’s shipyard in Haiman, China. “The construction is proceeding according to plan, though with some delays due to Covid-19,” says Lund. “We will be taking delivery of Sylvia Earle in March of this year and Ocean Odyssey in April of this year. This month, we also celebrated the keel laying of the sixth Infinity-class ship, Ocean Albatros, which will be delivered in March 2023.” SunStone is also planning for the future beyond the completion of the Infinity-class. Rather than pausing development, it is already in the process of arranging for the construction of an entirely new design, the Boundless class. Lund outlines the features that charterers and guests can expect from the new series of ships, the first of which is currently expected to join the SunStone fleet in 2025. “The Boundless class will be slightly larger,” he says. “It will have the same technical features as the Infinity class, such as Safe Return to Port, dynamic positioning, at rest stabilisers, Polar Code 6, and an inverted bow. However, in addition to this, it will have a Zodiac garage at water level, a pool deck midship with a retractable glass dome, more public spaces, and it will be an allbalcony vessel.” With the completed Infinity class and the upcoming Boundless class, SunStone Ships is looking to build back from a difficult period and continue to drive forward the expedition sector. CFR “ We do expect to have 12 of our vessels in operation by June, getting us back to normal” SunStone Ships has four ships in operation in Antarctica this season
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