NYK has named its new Tokyo Bay cruise ship Amane (海音), setting the 480-gt vessel up to replace the dining ship Lady Crystal when it enters service around May 2027, according to NYK.
The vessel will operate Tokyo Bay cruises based in Tennoz and will succeed Lady Crystal, which is currently operated by The Cruise Club Tokyo, an NYK Group company. NYK has also launched a dedicated website for updates on the vessel.
The name Amane combines the kanji characters 海, meaning sea, and 音, meaning sound. NYK said the name is intended to evoke a voyage accompanied by the sound of the sea and to express its aim for the vessel and its vision to resonate widely with people.
Amane will carry forward NYK’s passenger-ship culture with private rooms, dedicated butler service for guests using those rooms and onboard hospitality for all guests. The dining concept will continue the French cuisine tradition once offered on NYK passenger ships, with course meals using selected Japanese ingredients created by Kenji Hayama, executive chef of Lady Crystal.
The vessel will have an overall length of about 48.0 metres, a beam of about 9.5 metres and a draft of about 2.1 metres. Maehata Shipbuilding Co Ltd will build the ship in Sasebo, Nagasaki.
NYK is the Japanese shipping group behind the Amane project and the passenger-ship tradition linked to the new vessel. The Cruise Club Tokyo is an NYK Group company and the current operator of Lady Crystal.
Maehata Shipbuilding Co Ltd is the Sasebo-based shipbuilder assigned to construct the vessel.