The World Explorer, a 200-passenger expedition ship owned by Mystic Cruises, is starting to take shape ahead of a fourth quarter delivery at West Sea Shipyard in Portugal.
The ship will debut into service on a charter agreement next winter with Quark Expeditions. Summer 2019 will see the ship sail under the Nicko Cruises brand in Europe.
The ship will be built on a Rolls-Royce technical platform and is the first in a planned series of cruise ships.
The ship will have an operating cruise speed of 16 knots with a strengthened hull and propellers for traversing ice. She will be 126 meters in length with a width of 19 meters, a draft of 4.8 meters and be 9,300 tons.
Mystic Cruises belongs to the holding company Mystic Invest that also owns river brand DouroAzul and Germany’s Nicko Cruises.