Captain Cook Cruises Fiji Introduces the Caledonian Sky

Captain Cook Cruises Fiji Introduces the Caledonian Sky

Captain Cook Cruises Fiji is introducing the Caledonian Sky to its fleet. Acquired from APT Cruises earlier this year, the 114-guest expedition ship will debut for the Fiji-based brand in November 2023.

According to a statement available on Captain Cook’s website, the 1991-built vessel will replace the Reef Endeavour, ushering in a “new era of high-end cruise experiences never seen before in Fiji.”

Currently, the company’s sole vessel, the 168-guest Reef Endeavour has been in service for the company since 1996.

The arrival of the Caledonian Sky “elevates and expands the pioneering expeditions” that its original ship has undertaken since entering service, the company added.

Described as a “luxury expedition small ship,” the Caledonian Sky will sail to destinations that are otherwise unreachable, Captain Cook said, including the most remote parts of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.

The program includes different three- to 14-night expeditions, all accompanied by a team of Marine Biologists and cultural experts.

The schedule also includes new itineraries for the 2024-25 season, such as a seven-night cruise to Southern Lau and Kadavu.

Sailing from Port Denarau, the expedition explores the remote southern Lau and Kadavu island groups and allows guests to witness the great sea reef while visiting islands including Dravuni, Moala, Fulaga, Mutuku, Beqa and Vatulele.

Also new is the 14-night Southern Lau and Tonga Whale Migration Cruise.

According to Captain Cook, the itinerary sails to the southern portion of the Lau group of islands before embarking on an expedition to the outer islands of Tonga during the whale migration period.

Originally built for Renaissance Cruises, the Caledonian Sky has sailed for several operators during its three-decade cruising career, including Noble Caledonia and Star Cruises.

According to Captain Cook, the vessel is “tailor-made” for the “adventurous sophisticated traveller” and offers “spacious boutique comfort” with just 57 ocean-view staterooms.

The ship also carries a fleet of ten zodiacs, the company said, in addition to a team of 70 crew members.

Seabourn’s Expedition Ships to Get Starlink

Seabourn’s Expedition Ships to Get Starlink

Seabourn announced that its two ships, the Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit, will be equipped with SpaceX’s Starlink Wi-Fi technology, according to a statement.

The technology will ensure all guests aboard Seabourn ships have fast and reliable internet access.

We are committed to providing the best ultra-luxury expedition experiences at sea, and the Starlink partnership will offer a significantly enhanced connectivity experience during our expedition journeys,” said Natalya Leahy, president of Seabourn. “From the polar regions to Australia and the South Pacific, our guests will experience a more reliable connection, allowing them to share those special moments and experiences with their loved ones as they sail on Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit.”

The first Seabourn ship to offer Starlink Wi-Fi is the Seabourn Venture beginning on May 12, 2023, ahead of its Arctic season. The Seabourn Pursuit will be equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity following its debut in the summer of 2023. 

“Starlink offers Internet capabilities and functionality to meet growing service demands globally, and I am so pleased that guests and crew members on both of our expedition ships will benefit from this innovative technology,” said Kathleen Erickson, Seabourn’s vice president of technology.

Viking Octantis Floats Out Ahead of 2022 Debut

Viking has announced its first expedition ship – the 378-guest Viking Octantis – was “floated out” at VARD, marking a major construction milestone and the first time that the new ship touches water.

Scheduled to debut in early 2022, the Viking Octantis will spend her maiden season sailing voyages to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes.

A second, identical expedition ship, Viking Polaris, is set to debut in summer 2022 and will sail journeys to Antarctica and the Arctic. 

“Working with Fincantieri over the last eight years, we have built the world’s most beautiful ocean ships. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Fincantieri’s VARD and celebrate this important milestone in the construction of our first expedition vessel,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.

“In creating ‘the thinking person’s expedition,’ we are perfecting polar expedition cruising, and we will usher in a new era of comfortable exploration in the heart of North America. Viking Octantis and her sister ship, Viking Polaris, will allow our guests to explore further – to the ends of the earth as well as closer to home. I would like to thank our partners at VARD and everyone working at the yard for the hard work and dedication on the building of Viking Octantis; we look forward to welcoming her to our fleet in early 2022.”

The float out is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction. The float-out ceremony of the Viking Octantis took place on December 22; she was then moved to a nearby outfitting dock for further construction and interior build-out. After final outfitting, Viking Octantis will be delivered at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Søviknes, Norway.

Blocks Arrive in Helsinki for First New Swan Hellenic Expedition Ship

Helsinki Shipyard is quickly progressing through the building stages for the first of two new expedition newbuilds for Swan Hellenic.

On Saturday the shipyard loaded the first blocks of the vessel in Klaipeda.

On Monday, the blocks arrived in Helsinki.

Swan Hellenic is building two state-of-the-art expedition ships are being built in Helsinki aimed at providing 152 guests with an elegant, intimate and personal onboard experience delivered by 120 warm, friendly and knowledgeable staff, according to a statement.

The first ship will set sail for Antarctica in November 2021, the second will be launched in April 2022.

Silversea expedition ship floats out

Silversea expedition ship floats out

 

The first destination-specific ship built for luxury line Silversea has been floated out of its shipyard ahead of entering service in the summer.

The 100-passenger Silver Origin will be based in the Galapagos Islands from July 18 in its inaugural sailing season.

Construction of the all-suite vessel is continuing after it emerged from the De Hoop shipyard at Lobith in the Netherlands.

Silver Origin will replace Silver Galapagos which is being retired.

The new ship will run alternating seven-day itineraries between Baltra and San Cristóbal in the Pacific Ocean archipelago.

Silversea president and chief executive Roberto Martinoli said: “This is an important milestone for our cruise line; it takes us one step closer to strengthening our industry-leading offering in the Galapagos further still.

“While completing the final stages of Silver Origin’s construction, ensuring that the ship surpasses Silversea’s trademark level of comfort, we are also readying our expedition team, who will deliver an enriching and memorable expedition experience for our guests.”

The experts will offer guided excursions by Zodiac boats, hikes and nature walks ashore.

Shipyard De Hoop scoops Celebrity Cruises expedition ship contract

A rendering of Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Flora, which is being built by Shipyard De Hoop

Celebrity Cruises has struck a contract with Shipyard De Hoop for the design and construction of an expedition cruise ship.

The 5,635 GT 100 passenger-capacity vessel, to be named Celebrity Flora will have a keel laying ceremony later this year and is due to be delivered in May 2019.

De Hoop said the cruise vessel is “optimised for experiencing the land and marine environment of the Galapagos in high comfort”. Celebrity Flora will be the first vessel to be built to two-compartment damage stability regulations and additionally complies with the relevant damage stability requirements planned for implementation during 2020. De Hoop said the vessel also commits to specific Galapagos National Park Directorate Regulations, whereby explicit environmentally low-impact features were applied.

As this vessel is expected to be stationary – in a bay or near one of the islands – for 66% of the operational time, “considerable thought went into the design and selection of equipment, allowing the ship to perform efficiently under dynamic positioning (DP)”. Combined with a zero-speed stabiliser system, the DP system will choose a heading to minimise the roll and heave motions on the vessel, significantly improving passenger comfort.

The power and propulsion plant of Celebrity Flora is duplicated and housed in two separate engine rooms.

De Hoop said the introduction of an advanced propulsion system, its hull configuration (improved with CFD calculations) and specially designed diesel engines, guarantee an average 25% reduction in hull resistance, 15% reduction of overall fuel consumption and equivalently fewer air emissions.

The ship’s bow shape features a straight, wave-piercing stem, with an integrated bulb at the waterline. De Hoop said, “This characteristic bow both reduces resistance in waves when in transit and saves energy when staying in position, due to the highly efficient short bow thruster tunnel.”