Rolls-Royce has signed a contract with WestSea Yard, part of Martifer Group, to equip a seagoing expeditionary cruise ship. It is for the Portuguese based cruise company Mystic Cruises.
The »World Explorer« will be the company’s first expeditionary oceanic cruise ship. It will of[ds_preview]fer expeditionary cruise itineraries in Antarctica from November to March. According to Rolls-Royce the new vessel’s inaugural Antarctic season is already fully chartered to, and being distributed globally by, Polar Cruise Company Quark Expeditions. For the rest of the season it will visit small and distinct ports around the world normally not accessible to larger cruise ships and will be distributed worldwide by the German Company Nicko Cruises. The »World Explorer« is the first of several ships to be built by the Portuguese company for its expeditionary cruise line.
The newbuilding will be equipped with environmentally technology developed by Rolls- Royce. The company has supplied two Bergen, C25:33L8P main engines and a Bergen C25:33L6P auxiliary dual generator. These connect to a Low Voltage AFE »SAVeCUBE« Power Electric System which allows the engines to operate at variable speeds maximising their efficiency for the required power. Rolls-Royce is also providing the automation and control system, and the complete Promas propulsion system with two CPP propellers integrated with two flap rudders, also steering gears and tunnel thrusters.
The delivery of the »World Explorer« is scheduled for October 2018
The 9,300 gt »World Explorer« is 126 m long, 19 wide and has a maximum draft of 4.8 m. It can accommodate 200 guests served by a 111 international crew members. The ship has an operating cruise speed of 16 kn with a strengthened hull and propellers for traversing ice.
The construction of the vessel, designed by Italian Naval Architect Giuseppe Tringali, is already underway at the WestSea Shipyard in northern Portugal with completion expected in October 2018.
