Vard wins second order for Australian cruise expedition ship

The successful completion and delivery of the expedition cruise vessel, Coral Adventurer, from Vard’s Vietnam shipyard, Vard Vung Tao, earlier this year, has led to a second contract from Australian cruise operator Coral Expeditions. Like the Coral Adventurer, the Coral Geographer will be built to a Vard 6 01 design, with a length of just over 93m and capacity for 120 passengers.
Both vessels are intended to capitalise on the rapidly expanding expedition cruise market in the Asia-Pacific region generally, and the Australian market in particular. The second vessel is due for delivery during the fourth quarter of 2020.
Speaking about the first ship, Vard CEO and executive director, Roy Reite, said: “As with the entire portfolio of offshore and specialised passenger vessels the yard has constructed over recent years, this ship was delivered on time, with complete customer satisfaction. That is demonstrated by the commitment from Coral Expeditions to build a new vessel here with the team.” 
The ships’ design and interiors both come from Vard subsidiaries in Norway but the hulls, outfitting, installation, testing and finalising are all carried out in Vietnam. The ships, with crews of up to 42 persons, are equipped with two 65-passenger ‘Xplorer’ aluminium tenders and six heavy-duty inflatable boats.