An important milestone has been reached in the construction of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ HANSEATIC inspiration: the new expedition ship started its journey from the VARD Group’s Romanian site in Tulcea to the VARD Langsten shipyard in Norway.
We’ve all seen it from pictures of keel laying ceremonies, modern cruise ships – big and small – are made up of sections (blocks) that are ‘glued’ together to form the hull of the ship.
Work on the outer hull of the HANSEATIC inspiration has been under way in Romania since the start of construction in September 2017. On Saturday, February 16, the completed hull of HANSEATIC inspiration was lowered in to the water for the first time.
From here on a deep-sea tugboat – Diavlos Force – will tow the 6,500 ton heavy hull of the HANSEATIC inspiration on a journey to the VARD Langsten shipyard near Alesund in Norway where the interior of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises‘ new expedition ship will be outfitted.
The journey will take the hull via Istanbul and Gibraltar, a trip of around 4,000 nautical miles lasting around 24 to 28 days, depending on the weather conditions.
The 230-guest HANSEATIC inspiration – being built for the German and international marketplaces – will be launched in the Belgian city of Antwerp on 13 October this year. In a new expedition class of its own for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, HANSEATIC inspiration will join the HANSEATIC nature (from April 2019) and HANSEATIC spirit (from 2021), which are being operated for the German markets.
The small, manoeuvrable expedition ships feature cutting-edge technology and have the highest ice class for passenger ships (PC6). Their routes will take the ships from one extreme to the other – from cold polar waters to the warm regions of the Amazon. The construction, design and routes of the new ships focus on providing a true expedition experience, getting as close to nature as possible and incorporating state-of-the-art equipment to minimise the environmental impact.
The ships offer more open deck space than on any other expedition ship, glass balconies perfect for watching whales and dolphins when floating over the oceans, a terraced Observation Deck and Lounge, a nature/inspiration walk at the bow of the ship that puts guests in the front row for wildlife sightings and a Marina for a variety of warmwater sports – with kayaks, stand-up paddle boards and snorkelling equipment.