Sven Lindblad, ceo of Lindblad Expeditions, and a pioneer in the expedition travel sector, will deliver a keynote address and serve as a panelist for the session that's moderated by Capt. Ben Lyons, ceo, Expedition Voyage Consultants.
Other panelists include Markus Aarnio, chairman, Foreship; Navin Sawhney, ceo, Americas, Ponant Cultural Cruises and Expeditions; and Daniel Skjeldam, ceo, Hurtigruten.
In June Lindblad Expeditions introduces its first newbuild, National Geographic Quest, with sister ship National Geographic Venture following in 2018. Both are coastal ships that have innovative bow design for wildlife-viewing, remotely operated vehicles, hydrophones and other exploration tools. Planning is advancing for a blue-water newbuild, too.
Expedition Voyage Consultants was Crystal Cruises' partner for its highly successful Northwest Passage expedition in 2016, and Lyons' company has teamed with Damen Shipyards to develop an expedition cruise ship newbuild design. A licensed captain, Lyons has commanded expedition ships and served as a deck officer on Queen Mary 2.
Foreship's work in the sector includes involvement in the design of Scenic's first ocean-going newbuild, the luxurious Scenic Eclipse, coming in 2018. It will carry two helicopters and a submarine, among other features.
Ponant has four newbuilds on the way: two to arrive in 2018 and two in 2019. They'll help the company branch out into new tropical and sub-tropical destinations including the Amazon, and to have a year-round Asia Pacific presence and three ships in the Arctic and four in Antarctica.
Hurtigruten is shaking things up with its trailblazing use of fuel cells in newbuilds Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen, coming in 2018 and 2019. The technology will enable the ships to sail emission-free, in complete silence, for short distances, and through 'peak shaving' will help cut overall emissions by at least 20%.
The Seatrade Cruise Global session will discuss the Polar Code, newbuild trends in the sector, exploration tools and features, environmental performance and destinations.
The session is set for 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. March 16 at the Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.
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