Coral Expeditions has officially launched its new vessel, Coral Adventurer, as the vessel touched water for the first time at a shipyard in Vietnam earlier this month.
The float out ceremony, which involved two days of relocating the vessel from yard onto the floating dock, was a key milestone for Australia’s Coral Expeditions.
“Excitement was at a real high with Coral Adventurer now officially in the water and her delivery drawing nearer,” said Mark Fifield, Group General Manager, Coral Expeditions.
“To date, the construction project has involved expertise from across the world with over 800 workers involved. We were delighted to be joined by over 200 shipyard staff who celebrated this special moment with us, for whom Coral Adventurer build has been a labour of love over the past 11 months.”
Also at hand were specialists and designers involved in the installation of all interior furnishings including the wood paneling, feature stonework, stateroom fit out and the ship’s public areas.
With her build firmly on track and on time, Coral Expeditions expect no delays preparing their fourth vessel for her sold-out maiden voyage in April 2019, the company said.
Sea trials will commence in February, handover in late March, followed by shakedown cruises in April.
Her official launch will be celebrated in Singapore on April 23 2019 before she enters service on her first 18-night departure.
The vessel will then arrive for the first time in Australian waters for an official welcome in Darwin on May 13.
The 120-passenger Coral Adventurer has been specially designed by Coral Expeditions, marrying the company’s 34 years of experience building and operating expedition ships with latest advances in marine and environmental technology, the company said.
Fifield continued: “Coral Adventurer has received a positive response from the market with extremely strong forward bookings and charter interest,” said Fifield. “We have had an overwhelming response to the recently launched 60 day 35th Anniversary Circumnavigation of Australia, which is nearing capacity after only two weeks in the market and this instils great confidence amongst our team and stakeholders to action further fleet development into the future.”
The ship’s lightweight dual Xplorer expedition tenders, a trademark feature of all Coral Expeditions vessels, will extend the capabilities of the ship by allowing fast transit for all passengers with open views on shore excursions and deeper exploration into rivers and beaches.
A new multi-purpose space, the Barralong Room, will host interpretive activities and projects that connect guests in an engaging format throughout their voyage experience.
