Norwegian ship designer Ulstein has received a contract to design the fourth expedition cruise vessel for Miami-based SunStone Ships.
The vessel, Ocean Explorer, will be constructed at the China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI) shipyard.
Belonging to the company’s Infinity series, the vessel is a CX103 design featuring the X-BOW. Ulstein’s patented bow has originally been developed for seakeeping in rough conditions but has also the advantage of more space in the bow areas, areas which on these vessels have been taken in use for spacious lounges with outstanding views, according to Ulstein.
The Infinity Class vessels are 104.4 meters long and 18.4 meters wide. They have a passenger capacity of 130-200 and a crew capacity of 85-115.
Vantage Cruise Line will be the charterer for the Ocean Explorer, with planned cruises to include East Asia, the Mediterranean and Scandinavia.
Ocean Explorer will be a sister vessel to Greg Mortimer, Ocean Discoverer and Ocean Victory.
The first vessel in this series of potentially ten vessels, the 7,400 gross ton Greg Mortimer, is in its final phase prior to the ship’s scheduled delivery in Q3 2019, Ulstein said.