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Damen presents next generation of expedition cruising

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115 passenger capacity expedition cruise vessel
Damen Shipyards Group unveiled its new design for a 115 passenger capacity expedition cruise vessel featuring multiple viewing platforms and hybrid propulsion technology.

The yard worked in collaboration with Expedition Voyage Consultants Ltd and Danish naval architect firm, Knud E. Hansen to create the new ship designed with approximately 1,100sq mtr of public space and 2,500sq mtr of outside deck. A +200 pax design will be developed soon.

Expedition Voyage Consultants,which has led over 500 expeditions, was instrumental in creating a fit-for-purpose vessel with safe and efficient operations embedded into its design, noted Damen product director Henk Grunstra.

'Bringing Knud E. Hansen onto the project team allowed us to benefit from their vast collective expertise in designing passenger ships, including more than 700 cruise vessels, and the 6,000-plus ships it has built over the years,' he remarked.

The Damen Expedition Cruise Vessel has been designed for operations in both remote polar and tropical regions. 'The vessel’s Polar Class 6 compliance and 30 days autonomous cruising capability ensure she is globally capable and able to tackle challenging, far-reaching itineraries,' highlighted Grunstra.

The vessel’s design is prepared to comply with SOLAS’ Safe Return to Port requirements, he added.

Using the significant practical input from Expedition Voyage Consultants, 'Passengers will be able to see that this vessel was not only designed for the expedition industry, but also by the expedition industry,' remarked the Damen executive.

A core philosophy of the design is to connect its passengers to the pristine environments in which the vessel will sail. Passengers will take in the views on multiple viewing platforms that extend over the side or past the bow, providing the most spectacular vantage point of any expedition ship, claims Damen.

A specially developed crow’s nest on the ships's mast will aide visibility during ice navigation as well as give passengers a panoramic view over the surrounding landscape.

For the propulsion system, Damen has selected a diesel-mechanical hybrid configuration. More specifically, this will encompass IMO Tier III compliant (EPA tier 4 equivalent) medium speed engines. A PTI-PTO variable frequency drive will also be included, thus enabling efficient load distribution on the engines.

Designed to be ‘battery ready’, the vessel could be equipped with an energy storage battery system capable of various functions such as peak- shaving, provision of supplementary power for manoeuvring or silent sailing operations and auxiliary generator UPS.

'This hybrid propulsion technology is the most fuel efficient option available,' saide Grunstra referring to the vessel’s 16 knot service speed and 18 knot maximum speed. 'In combination with the hull design and the effective use of electricity on board, we are expecting to reach fuel consumption and CO2 reductions of at least 20%.'