Rolls-Royce has signed a deal with WestSea Yard, part of Martifer Group, to equip an expeditionary oceanic cruise ship for Portuguese based cruise company Mystic Cruises.Construction of the vessel, designed by Italian Naval Architect Giuseppe Tringali, is already underway at the WestSea Shipyard in northern Portugal with completion expected October 2018.
The vessel, to be called the MS World Explorer, will be the company’s first expeditionary oceanic cruise ship. The MS World Explorer will offer expeditionary cruise itineraries in Antarctica from November to March and this new vessel’s inaugural Antarctic season is already fully chartered to, and being distributed globally by, Polar Cruise Company Quark Expeditions.
For the rest of the season it will visit small and distinct ports around the world normally not accessible to larger cruise ships and will be distributed worldwide by the German Company Nicko Cruises.
Equipped with environmentally sustainable and top of the line technology developed by Rolls- Royce, the MS World Explorer is the first of several ships to be built by the Portuguese company for its expeditionary cruise line.
The design is the result of several years of study and development to create the perfect balance between luxury, comfort, efficiency and environmental friendly operation.
Rolls-Royce has supplied two Bergen, C25:33L8P main engines and a Bergen C25:33L6P auxiliary dual generator. These connect to a Low Voltage AFE “SAVeCUBE” Power Electric System which allows the engines to operate at variable speeds maximising their efficiency for the required power.
Rolls-Royce is also providing the automation and control system, and the complete Promas propulsion system with two CPP propellers integrated with two flap rudders, also steering gears and tunnel thrusters.
The MS World Explorer will accommodate 200 guests served by a 111 international crew members. 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 a tonnage of 9300 GT.
