Miami-based SunStone Ships has decided to order another Infinity class expedition cruise vessel.
The company recently signed an agreement with China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI) for the sixth newbuilding.
As informed, the cruise ship now ordered has a long-term charter agreement in place and is expected to be delivered in September 2021.
“We have worked diligently in obtaining the long term charters and shipbuilding orders for the Infinity class vessels and we continue to move forward with the contracts and building,” Niels-Erik Lund, SunStone President and CEO, commented.
Infinity class vessels are 104 meters long and 18 meters wide, with a draft of 5.1 meters. They feature a passenger capacity between 130-200 and a crew capacity between 85 and 115. The Vessels are Ice Class 1A, Polar Code 6 and are being built with Safe Return to Port, Dynamic Positioning and Zero Speed Stabilizers.
Current Infinity class newbuilds include the Greg Mortimer , the Ocean Victory, the Ocean Explorer, the Ocean Odyssey and the Ocean Discoverer, scheduled for delivery in August 2019, in September 2020, in February 2021, in March 2022 and in September 2022, respectively.
In addition to the six vessels already ordered, SunStone is in negotiations for four additional vessels. It is expected that the seventh Infinity vessel will be signed within May and the remaining three options within 2019, according to the company.
In addition to the Infinity series of newbuildings, SunStone has commercial management of a fleet of nine vessels on long-term charter, mainly for the small-ship/expedition ship market.