Keel Laid for Hapag-Lloyd's First Expedition Cruise Ship

A keel-laying ceremony was held on June 20 for Hanseatic nature, the first of two expedition cruise ships being built for Hapag-Lloyd.

Hanseatic nature's maiden voyage is planned for April 2019. The second ship, Hanseatic inspiration, will launch six months later in October 2019. 

The vessels are being built by the Vard shipyard in Tulcea, Romania. The ships’ hulls will be constructed in the Romanian yard and then be towed to Vard Langsten in Norway, where the outfitting and the finishing of the interior will take place. Both vessels will be capable of accommodating up to 230 guests (or up to 199 guests on Antarctica cruises). 16 onboard Zodiacs and E-Zodiacs with eco-friendly electric drive systems allow for landings in remote expedition areas.

The vessels will be built to Polar Class 6 standards, the highest ice class for passenger ships, and will conduct expeditions far into Polar waters, with tropical destinations and the Amazon remaining also on the itinerary.

The hulls of the two ships have been optimized to minimize fuel consumption, and added to this, the vessels will have a Rolls-Royce rudder system. The vessels will be fitted with an SCR catalytic converter, which reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by almost 95 percent. Cold ironing is also envisioned.

Hanseatic nature's keel consists of two steel blocks each nine meters long, 11 meters wide, 1.5 meters high and weighing 33 tons.