German cruise company Hapag-Lloyd Cruises launched the construction of its second expedition ship HANSEATIC inspiration with a steel cutting ceremony on October 5, 2017.
The steel for the new vessel, which is expected to hit the water in 2019, was cut at the Romanian VARD shipyard in Tulcea.
The contract for the two expedition ships, which will be positioned in the five-star expedition segment, was awarded to the Norwegian VARD Group, a subsidiary of the Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri.
HANSEATIC inspiration’s hull will be built in Tulcea, before being transported to the VARD Langsten shipyard in Norway for the interior fitting.
The two expedition ships, slated to launch in 2019, are an investment by the tourism group TUI Group on behalf of its Hamburg-based subsidiary. In terms of its growth strategy, TUI is focusing increasingly on the development of its own hotels and cruise ships.
With HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration, the company is further expanding its fleet and developing its role in the expedition segment.
“The demand for expedition cruising is three times higher than supply and so with our two new builds we shall be ideally prepared for the future and also satisfy the international marketplace. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is growing, which underlines the TUI Group’s strategy in the cruise segment. The HANSEATIC inspiration will be marketed to an English-speaking audience,” Karl J. Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, said.
HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration, identical in design, will be fitted with cutting-edge equipment and environmental technology and will be able to accommodate up to 230 guests and up to 199 guests on Antarctic cruises, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises said.
They will also have the highest ice class for passenger ships PC6 so they will be used in the polar regions the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as in warmer destinations such as the Amazon and the South Seas.