SPECIALIST vessel designer and builder VARD has announced the successful handover of a second expedition cruise vessel, Coral Geographer, to Coral Expeditions of Australia.
Following successful delivery of the sister ship Coral Adventurer in 2019, Australia-based Coral Expeditions ordered a second VARD 6 01 Expedition Cruise Vessel as part of its fleet expansion.
Coral Adventurer recently re-commenced cruising in Western Australia as previously reported in DCN.
The brand-new Coral Geographer is now ready to sail on new adventures after arriving from Vard Vung Tau, VARD’s shipyard in Vietnam. Her first maiden voyage with passengers will start from Cairns, Queensland, at the end of March.
The vessel’s VARD 6 01 design was developed by Vard Design in Norway in close co-operation with the customer. It has been specially tailored for personalised expedition cruises to remote and exotic destinations in Asia and Oceania.
Coral Geographer is 93.7-metres long in total, with a beam of 17.2 metres. It has accommodation capacity for 120 guests. The onboard environment is geared for daily shore expeditions, lectures, and briefings, while finished to a high standard of comfort.
The vessel features public areas with ample open deck space. Staterooms with generous, open balconies occupy over half of the total vessel area. Original artwork sourced from Indigenous communities in Australia visited by the company’s fleet grace the interiors.
The ship features interior and ventilation systems provided by Vard Accommodation and is also equipped with Vard Electro’s state-of-the-art SeaQ product series for navigation systems, integrated systems, marine electronics, and electrical systems.
Mark Fifield, group general manager of Coral Expeditions said, “This is the second ship we are building with VARD. We are pleased with the result. We would like to place on record our deep appreciation for the professionalism and commitment of all the VARD staff involved in this project”.
