Quark Expeditions Celebrates Steel Cutting Ceremony
Big news this week from Quark Expeditions, a leader in polar expedition cruises. It was the time-honored steel-cutting ceremony for their new ship, destined for polar exploration beginning in 2020.
Celebrating a ship’s steel-cutting is a long-standing maritime tradition. Steeped in superstition and folklore, a celebration is called for to mark the very beginning of building a new ship. The event brings together the ship building company and the ship owners. The highlight is the pressing of the button to trigger the laser-cutting of the first piece of steel. This first piece of cut steel will be used as part of the hull.
The ceremony took place at the shipyard and museum of Quark Expeditions’ build partner, Brodosplit. In attendance were top executives from Quark and Brodosplit, including President of Quark Expeditions, Andrew White; CEO of DIV Group ,Tomislav Debeljak and CEO of Brodosplit Zoran Kunkera.
The yet-unnamed new ship will be just over 400-feet long and accommodate up to 200 guests. This polar explorer will feature state-of-the-art technology along with 70-day long range operational ability.
“Every aspect of the ship has been built with one thing in mind: continuing to redefine what is possible in polar adventure,” said White. “We’ve created a ship unsurpassed in its class not only by partnering with industry leaders like Brodosplit and LMG Marin, who are as committed as we are to pushing the boundaries, but also by consulting with our own polar experts and Expedition Leaders, who know better than anyone else what guests want out of their polar experience.
This is no ordinary polar ship
In addition to a long-range cruise capability, the new ship will feature an interior Zodiac hangar and four embarkation stations. Of course a ship like this will have the newest technology in safety features. And something really incredible; dual helicopters with simultaneously operable helidecks.
There will be 11 stateroom categories, a spa and fitness center plus indoor and al fresco dining.
Sustainable features include a high-tech water treatment system and waste handling. A heat recovery system will recycle excess energy back into the ship. There will be no need to drop anchor, that can damage the ocean floor and ecosystems. Instead, the new ship will use dynamic positioning via satellite GPS to virtually “anchor” the ship in one pin-point spot.
Stayed tuned for more information including photos of the new ship. Reservations open this Spring for the inaugural 2020-2012 Antarctic cruise season.
