Mystic’s World Explorer Completes Five Years in Service

Mystic’s World Explorer Completes Five Years in Service

Introduced as Mystic Cruises’ first-ever ocean-going cruise ship, the World Explorer recently completed five years in operation.

Built by the West Sea Shipyard in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, the 200-guest vessel was commissioned during a special ceremony on April 6, 2019.

The event, which took place at the ship’s building dock, was hosted by Mystic Cruises’ CEO Mário Ferreira and included former French First Lady Carla Bruni serving as the Explorer’s godmother.

Responsible for commanding the ship during its inaugural season, Captains Alex Zakalashnnyuk from Russia, Filipe Sousa from Portugal, and Terje Willassen from Norway were also present.

While the christening ceremony took place in April, the World Explorer only entered service a few months later, in early August.

Initially operated by Mystic’s German brand Nicko Cruises, the vessel spent its inaugural season sailing in Northern Europe.

The program included both expedition and traditional cruising, with itineraries visiting Iceland, Greenland, the Norwegian Fjords, and the Baltic Sea.

Chartered to Quark Expeditions for the 2019-20 season in Antarctica, the vessel also offered a repositioning cruise to Brazil before arriving at the Frozen Continent in late October.

Since resuming service after the pandemic, the World Explorer has been sailing under charter for Belgium-based Rivages du Monde during summers.

In 2024, the ship’s season includes a series of itineraries in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and South America.

Upon completing the chartered program, the 9,300-ton ship is set to return to Antarctica for another season under Quark Expeditions’ flag.

After being acquired by the company in April, the World Explorer is set to be operated by Windstar Cruises starting in late 2026.

Renamed Star Explorer, the vessel is expected to undergo a major refurbishment before joining the fleet of the upscale cruise operator for itineraries across the world.

In line with other Windstar Cruises vessels, the Explorer is set to offer a new marina, in addition to a sun deck in its bow and a new range of dining venues.

Mystic Cruises: first to use hydrojets on cruise ships

World Explorer is the first cruise ship to employ hydrojet technology to bring guests closer to marine wildlife by minimising underwater noise

Technology initially developed for naval warships, the two onboard Schottel SPJ 82 Pump hydrojets can propel World Explorer almost silently at a cruising speed of five knots. Sailing under the Mystic Cruises brand, World Explorer and sister-ship World Voyager, launching in 2020, incorporate the hydrojet drive among other innovations that help maximise safety and minimise the ship’s environmental impact.

Atlas Ocean Voyages’ World Navigator, launching in 2021, also will be equipped with the propulsion system and other innovative technologies. Atlas Ocean Voyages is the distributor of Mystic Cruises in North America and both are subsidiaries of Mystic Invest Holding.

“Our goal is to build one of the cleanest, safest and quietest ships in our category,” said Mário Ferreira, Chairman of Mystic Invest Holding. “We designed our cruise ships to bring our guests closer to and experience more of a destination while ensuring that we do our part to help sustain these unparalleled places so we can bring future generations to enjoy them too.”

 Mystic Cruises brand, World Explorer and sister-ship World Voyager

Compared with propellers, hydrojets diminish vibrations and cavitation effects, significantly decreasing underwater noise.

“Sea life is highly sensitive to noise – which travels farther and louder in water than on land – and tends to scatter when they hear propeller-only propulsion ships. Each hydrojet pumps water in and out to produce drive and, like azipods, can be directed 360 degrees in order to navigate the ship along pristine shorelines or dynamically position by GPS without the use of the ship’s twin four-blade propellers,” Mystic Cruises explained in a statement.

In some destinations, guests will enjoy wet landings aboard one of 18 custom-designed Zodiac MilPro Mark V inflatable boats. To ensure safer gasoline containment, each Zodiac is constructed with a special, reinforced bow chest that accommodates a larger-capacity gasoline bladder to deliver more than three times the average operational range. Each Zodiac also features 12 anti-skid panels – four more than average – to ensure safer guest embarking and disembarking anywhere along the buoyancy tube. Furthermore, World Explorer and its sister ships are designed with onboard gasoline storage and pumping system that make Zodiac fuelling operations safer.

Conservation is also a top priority. FarSounder’s Sonar are installed at the front of the 1B-Ice class certified hulls to ensure safe navigation through harbours, rivers, and ice fields. Each ship is also equipped with two C25:33L8P main engines and a Bergen C25:33L6P auxiliary dual generator. These connect to a low voltage AFE SAVeCUBE power electric system, which provides fuel efficiency while operating at variable speeds and consumes as low as one-fifth the marine diesel oil compared to conventional engines.