Mystic Cruises is expanding its push into the ocean-going expedition market and has ordered two more 9,300-ton 200-guest expedition vessels from the West Sea shipyard in Portugal.
The company, owned by Portuguese entrepreneur Mario Ferreira, will see its first ship debut in 2019 as the World Explorer will sail on charter agreements for Ferreira’s Nicko Cruises brand and Quark Expeditions.
The ship will debut for Nicko next summer in Europe, and helps expand the German river cruise brand’s presence into the ocean cruise market.
Following her Nicko program, the vessel repositions for Antarctica sailings on a charter to Quark Expeditions for the 2019-2020 season.
The two additional vessels that Ferreira has ordered will be sisters to the World Explorer, with projected delivery dates in 2021 and 2022. The ships are valued at approximately 60 million euro each, according to a statement.
Ferreira has previously said he could see a home-grown fleet sailing under the Mystic Cruises banner.
The news pushes the already booming expedition orderbook to a total of 34 ships and roughly 7,400 berths, according to Cruise Industry News estimates.
