Coral Princess II emerges from major refurbishment

The 35mtr purpose-built catamaran was launched in 1996 by Coral Princess Cruises founder and md Capt. Tony Briggs and operates three-, four- and seven-night cruises from Cairns around the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef.

As well as being completely repainted, with a full interior upgrade, noise reduction technology has been incorporated throughout the ship.

As part of the refurbishment, the sun deck has been remodelled and fitted with teak dining tables for al fresco dinners under the stars.

There are two Zodiacs used for SCUBA diving excursions and a glass-bottom boat for coral viewing. The ship’s hydraulic platform allows passengers to step from the main deck into the Zodiacs and boat before they are lowered into the water.

Sister ship Coral Princess, commissioned by Briggs in 1988, underwent a refurbishment last year at Tropical Reef Shipyard in Cairns.

The company’s flagship, the 72-passenger Oceanic Discoverer which was launched in January 2005 and operates cruises around the South Pacific, including Papua New Guinea, Melanesia and New Zealand, is scheduled to make an inaugural voyage to Indonesia’s Spice Islands and the Raja Ampat region in September.