Coral Expeditions orders second expedition cruise ship from VARD
VARD, one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of specialized vessels, is cementing its relationship with Australia’s Coral Expeditions following the success of the recently delivered Coral Adventurer vessel, built at Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam, the company said in its release.
Delivered in April, the 93.4 meter ship, of VARD 6 01 design, has commenced commercial operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Its on-time delivery, high quality finish and excellent feedback has resulted in the contract for a second vessel with Coral Expeditions – Coral Geographer.
Coral Adventurer and Coral Geographer have been tailored to meet growing demand for Coral Expeditions’ expedition product in the Australian cruise market. With a focus on intimacy, high quality and the optimal passenger experience, the vessels will allow its 120 passengers to get closer to exotic regional locations in style, comfort and safety. Featuring advanced expedition tender capabilities and accommodation across four decks – ranging from Bridge Deck Balcony Suites, Bridge Deck and Explorer Deck Balcony Staterooms, to Coral Deck Staterooms – the ships environment is both comfortable and functional, allowing for relaxation, socializing, and daily shore expeditions.
Coral Geographer will be delivered in Q4 2020, and is already well advanced in production at Vard Vung Tau. Following market feedback, she will feature an increased proportion of Bridge Deck Balcony suites – up from two to six suites, each featuring a spacious horizon bath.
Vard Vung Tau constructed the Coral Adventurer hull, while also carrying out all outfitting, installation, testing and finalizing. Vard Accommodation delivered the interior. Alongside its own performance capabilities, the ship also boasts two 65 PAX capacity “Xplorer” aluminium tender boats and six heavy duty inflatable boats for special discovery trips. The 1271 dwt ship is designed by Vard Design in Norway with a high focus on environmentally friendly solutions. Alongside its passenger accommodation it offers cabins for up to 42 crew members.
About Coral Expeditions
With a 34 year history of innovation, Coral Expeditions is recognized as Australia’s longest established and most awarded expedition cruise operator. Starting with environmentally-sensitive cruises on the Great Barrier Reef, the fleet has grown to four Australian-flagged ships that include two oceangoing catamarans, Coral Expeditions I and Coral Expeditions II, the 63m Coral Discoverer, and the 93m Coral Adventurer. Headquartered in Cairns, Coral Expeditions offers expedition cruises to largely unseen parts of the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, the Kimberley region, Cape York and Arnhem Land, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Islands of the South Pacific, Tasmania, and South East Asia.
About Vard Vung Tau
Vard Vung Tau is an advanced and fully-integrated facility designed to undertake the entire shipbuilding process, from hull construction to final vessel outfitting. The company was established in 2007, with the yard opening for business in 2010. Since that point it has delivered a broad range of offshore and specialized vessels, with all projects completed to agreed schedules. The Vietnam-based shipyard complies to the same high, international standards as VARD’s other shipbuilding facilities, with the in-house equipment, expertise and resources to handle complex project management for the most demanding vessel builds.
About VARD
Vard Holdings Limited (“VARD”), together with its subsidiaries (the “Group”), is one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of specialized vessels. Headquartered in Norway and with 9,000 employees, VARD operates nine strategically located shipbuilding facilities, including five in Norway, two in Romania, one in Brazil and one in Vietnam. Through its specialized subsidiaries, VARD develops power and automation systems, deck handling equipment, and vessel accommodation solutions, and provides design and engineering services to the global maritime industry.
VARD’s long shipbuilding traditions, cutting-edge innovation and technology coupled with its global operations and track record in constructing complex and highly customized vessels have earned it recognition from industry players and enabled it to build strong relationships with its customers.
The majority shareholder of VARD is Fincantieri Oil & Gas S.p.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of FINCANTIERI S.p.A. Headquartered in Trieste, Italy, FINCANTIERI is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and has, over its 200 years of maritime history, built more than 7,000 vessels.
