Vard Holdings Limited, part of Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, has secured a NOK 2.7 billion contract for the design and construction of one electric hybrid cruise icebreaker with LNG propulsion cruise vessel, for French cruise company Ponant.
The polar expedition cruise vessel, developed by Ponant, Stirling Design International, Aker Arctic and Vard, is specially designed to take passengers to polar destinations such as the true geographic North Pole (90 degrees North Latitude), the Weddell Sea, the Ross Sea and Peter I Island.
The Polar Class 2 icebreaker is the first electric hybrid cruise icebreaker with dual fuel propulsion, featuring batteries and LNG storage on board, according to Vard. It will also be equipped with two helicopters in in-house hangars.
“This is a really exciting project for us, and we look forward to building the Ponant icebreaker for polar expedition voyages,” commented Mr. Roy Reite, CEO and Executive Director of Vard.
Delivery is scheduled from Vard Søviknes in Norway, in Q2 2021.
