Hapag-Lloyd’s New Expedition Ship
By Ted Scull.
The naming ceremony for Hapag-Lloyd’s second of three expedition ships, HANSEATIC INSPIRATION, took place in Hamburg on October 11th.
The traditional Champagne bottle was sent on its way to collide with the ship’s hull by Godmother Laura Dekker, the youngest person (age 16) to circumnavigate the globe single-handed, aboard a two-masted ketch, completing her journey in January 2012.
Attending guests then watched an outdoor multimedia show that highlighted many of the remote destinations the new ship will visit.
This new class of expedition ship for Hapag-Lloyd, consisting of HANSEATIC NATURE, HANSEATIC INSPIRATION and still to come HANSEATIC SPIRIT, is financed by parent firm TUI Group.
The INSPIRATION, under command of Captain Ulf Wolter, then leaves Hamburg on Saturday, October 12th, for its first port of call at the inland Belgium city of Antwerp. Then it begins a 15-day voyage to the Iberian Peninsula and the Atlantic Isles, heading to Tenerife, with stops in La Coruna, Lisbon, Casablanca and Madeira, among others.
Hapag-Lloyd’s new 465-foot expedition ship has a crew of 175 and passenger accommodations for 230, reduced to 199 for cruises to Antarctica and for Spitsbergen circumnavigations. The ship uses low-pollutant marine gas oil fuel.
And, great news, by July 2020, the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ fleet will cease using heavy fuel oil.
Contact Hapag-Lloyd Cruises for more info.
© This article is protected by copyright, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the author. All Rights Reserved. QuirkyCruise.com.