Keel Laid for Hapag-Lloyd Cruise Ship
June 20, 2017 began the next construction stage for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ first newbuild expedition cruise vessel, HANSEATIC nature. During a keel laying ceremony at the VARD shipyard in Tulcea, Romania, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises CEO, Karl J. Pojer, placed a coin inside the steel block; the coin was welded into the block and will accompany the ship on all its future cruises.
HANSEATIC nature‘s keel consists of two steel blocks: each block is 9 meters long, 11 meters wide, 1,5 meters high and weighs 33 tons.
“It is a great pleasure to watch the development of our first expedition new-build,” Pojer said. “In the shipyard, as well as in the Hamburg office, many experts in their specialist field, are working daily on completing the two vessels. With our new expedition vessels, we will soon be able to offer very unique travel experiences.”
The christening and maiden voyage of HANSEATIC nature are planned for April 2019. A second newbuild, HANSEATIC inspiration, which will serve the international markets, will launch six months later in October 2019.
The new expedition ships, which will be positioned in the five-star-segment, are being built by Norwegian company VARD Group, which is a subsidiary of the Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri. The ships’ hulls will be constructed in the Romanian shipyard location of Tulcea and afterwards be towed to VARD Langsten in Norway, where the outfitting and the finishing of the interior will take place.
Both HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration will be fitted with cutting-edge equipment and environmental technology and will each accommodate up to 230 guests (or up to 199 guests on Antarctica cruises).
PC6, the highest ice class for passenger ships, makes it possible to conduct expeditions far into Polar waters, with tropical destinations such as the South Seas and the Amazon.
Sixteen on-board Zodiacs and E-Zodiacs with eco-friendly electric drive systems allow for landings in remote expedition areas, regardless of the vicinity to a port.