SEABOURN Cruise Line has named their newest ship, Seabourn Pursuit, at a ceremony on Australia’s Ngula Jar island.
According to SCL, the 170-metre length overall vessel was built to reach some of the most coveted and remote destinations in the world.
The Bahamian-flagged luxury vessel was built by Italian shipyard T. Mariotti, and has capacity for up to 264 guests and over 120 crew members, including 24 expedition team members.
Seabourn Pursuit was built according to PC6 polar class standards, with destinations like Alaska and Antarctica among the more remote on the company’s itinerary.
Some of the onboard equipment boasted by Seabourn Pursuit includes two customs submarines and two dozen zodiac inflatable boats.
The naming ceremony took place during Seabourn Pursuit’s voyage to the Kimberley, where SLC announced the Wunambal Gaambera Traditional Owners as “godparents” of the vessel, intended as a symbolic gesture of stewardship and responsibility toward the environment and the communities visited by the cruise line, and also according to SLC to underpin their continued commitment to sustainable tourism.
A smoking ceremony and exchange of gifts were part of the formalities, with a bottle made from sugar and coated with sand from Ngula Jar island broken on the bow to complete the ceremony.
Seabourn President Natalya Leahy said, “This day marks a very special event with the christening of Seabourn Pursuit, our newest ultra-luxury purpose-built expedition ship”. “This is a wonderful maritime tradition, and today is extra special for us because we asked the Wunambal Gaambera to be the ship’s godparents, which marks the beginning of a long sustainable partnership between our brand and this community.”