Quark Expeditions announced that a new ship, with capacity for about 200 guests, will be launched in 2020. A steel-cutting ceremony took place at Brodosplit, the largest shipyard in Croatia, where the vessel is currently being built.

The ship will be 13,500 tons at 128 metres and with a beam of 21.5 metres and would feature a rapid zodiac and helicopter deployment system that allows for safe and efficient movement on and off the ship.

Passengers will benefit from 11 different cabin styles, modern spa and fitness facilities, indoor and outdoor dining options. The new vessel will go on sale in spring 2019, with the launch of its inaugural Antarctic 2020-2021 season.

“Every aspect of the ship has been built with one thing in mind: continuing to redefine what is possible in polar adventure,” said president of Quark Expeditions Andrew White. “We’ve created a ship unsurpassed in its class not only by partnering with industry leaders like Brodosplit and LMG Marin, who are as committed as we are to pushing the boundaries, but also by consulting with our own polar experts and Expedition Leaders, who know better than anyone else what guests want out of their polar experience.”

“This ship will be more than just a ship,” added White. “It will be an unrivalled operational base for polar adventures. Our guests travel with Quark to maximise their expedition experience, push their boundaries and revel in the magic of the polar regions. With this new ship, in the hands of the most experienced expedition team in the industry, we will get our guests further into the polar regions, seeing and doing more of what the they have to offer, in a vessel of exceptional comfort.”

“We are proud of our long list of firsts, like the first commercial passenger circumnavigation of Antarctica,” said White. “We designed this ship to keep adding to those firsts in what we consider the most breathtakingly places on our planet. 

* With excerpts from cruiseindustrynews.com