Brodosplit has launched the world’s largest sailing ship as hull 483, the Flying Clipper for Star Clippers, was launched on Saturday June 10 at the shipyard’s facility.
Among the guests was Star Clippers owner Mikael Kraftt and wife Ann Kraftt, who broke a bottle of campaign against the ship’s hull.
“This is the realization of my boyhood dream when I sailed in the Baltic Sea. It’s not easy to build such a boat and its very exciting to see that in today’s time, that sailing vessels not possible 100 years ago are being made,” Kraftt commented.
The fourth ship in the Star Clippers fleet will launch into service in 2018. She is 162 meters long and 18.2 meters wide with a deadweight of 2,000 tons.
Equipped with five masts, her sails will cover a surface area of 6,357 square meters for 300 passengers and 150 crew.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to build this ship,” said Tomislav Debeljak, CEO, Brodosplit. “There is a lot of equipment on this vessel and I’m proud of the design, quality, number of new systems and the effort of our workers. With this project we have opened up new opportunities for the construction of cruise ships.”
The financing for the ship has been arranged in part by The Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR), which provided a guarantee on the loan to finance the vessel, according to a statement.
It is the first ship ever to be built in Croatia that complies with Safe Return to Port, according to the shipyard. In addition, the hull is ice class meaning the ship can operate in polar regions. The hull has been designed for a sailing speed of 16 knots, but also optimized for high-speed transits at up to 20 knots.
