Ocean Advice, which is owned by United Waterways, has signed a deal to build eight cruise ships in China, with the agreement calling for four coastal vessels and four expedition ships, and with a first ship to be delivered in 2029 from China Merchant Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Shipyard.

The ships are being designed to be chartered out to major tour operators or lifestyle brands, the company said. Three of the eight are already spoken for.

The expedition ships will be able to accommodate 186 guests, and the coastal ships will accommodate 260 passengers.

“Together with our Partners, we managed to secure eight slots at China Merchant Shipyard for the latest state of the art Expedition and Coastal Cruiser series,” said Mathias Kracht, managing director of Ocean Advice.

“The design and much of the technology will be imported from Europe and the US, and enhanced with China’s electrification knowledge,” added Kracht. “This will provide us with a Hybrid ship that will comply with the stringent Sustainability standards existing in or planned in the future for its intended cruising areas. “

Sascha Gill, CEO of United Waterways, said that the ships will be ready to comply with the 2050 goals of the European Union.

“With the success of the many prestigious brands on the River, we see a natural transition for our clients to extend their offerings onto the ocean. So we create the White Label platform for it,” added Kracht.

“We will be able to access the small ports along the coast that our destination-focused partner brands are well known for and that can neither be reached via the river nor by larger ocean vessels. Each ship will be dedicated to the White Label market (B2B),” he continued.