Quark Expeditions is building a new expedition cruise ship designed for polar itineraries. The new ship, to be designed by LMG Marin and built by Croatia’s Brodosplit, is set for a launch date in 2020 to coincide with the line’s 30th anniversary. It will have a capacity of 200 passengers.
The ship will have 20 Zodiacs, which will be rapidly deployable from an internal zodiac hangar with four embarkation points, as well as two simultaneously operable helidecks for flightseeing, heli-skiing and access to excursions too remote for the Zodiacs. Onboard amenities will include a spa, fitness facilities and gourmet restaurants, although no further details on the onboard experience are available at this time.
The new ship will also incorporate design features aimed at the optimization of fuel, water, provisioning and waste handling systems to deliver a 40-day operational capability. This extended range, in combination with the helicopters, will make destinations such as the Ross Sea and the remote western Antarctic “Phantom Coast” safely accessible, Quark Expeditions said.
Incorporating a wide array of safety systems, the ship will have 13 fully redundant critical systems, twin propellers powered by four engines in two separate engine rooms and a fully operational emergency bridge. Additionally, all expedition operations will be run by Quark Academy-trained expedition staff.
Quark Expeditions, a member of Travelopia, a group of specialty travel brands recently acquired by the KKR investment firm, operated the first tourist transit of the Arctic’s Northeast passage and the first commercial passenger circumnavigation of Antarctica.
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