Another new cruise line plans to enter the industry as Norwegian Cruise Company intends to start operations in 2019 with a purpose-built ultra-luxury 180-passenger ship.

The brand and product messaging: an ultra-luxury adventure cruise line that will offer the experience of a mega yacht.

The project planning started last year, according to Ulf Henrick Wynnsdale, CEO.

“The research we have seen in the market points toward smaller ships,” he told Cruise Industry News. “It will be a more adventurous product, and at the same time, the ultra-luxury part of that segment doesn’t have a lot of capacity.”

Initial plans call for the building up to six ships between 2019 and 2020.

Is Norwegian Cruise Company the undisclosed buyer that ordered a ship at VARD earlier this month?

“No, that’s not us,” said Wynnsdale, adding that other shipyards had enough available capacity to build for deliveries in 2019 and 2020. The company has already signed a number of letters of intent with various entities.

The vessels will be ready for polar operation.

“We want to have flexibility to go anywhere, and when you are building a ship, adding polar class is not that big of a deal,” Wynnsdale said. “It’s very early in the project. Our itineraries will be including the polar regions where we see demand.”

The luxury vessels will have 90 suites, starting at 36 square meters each. Wynnsdale added he saw the Scenic Eclipse as the closest competitor.

The company is based in Oslo and is already putting together an operation in Miami.

Read more about the company’s start up plans in the Cruise Industry News Spring Quarterly Magazine.