Schulte Marine Concept (SMC), the project management arm of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), working together with Bernhard Schulte Cruise Services (BS Cruise), has won its first cruise ship contract awarded by Portugal-based Mystic Cruises.
SMC will provide technical consultancy and newbuilding supervision services to support construction of the luxury expedition cruise ship, ‘World Explorer’.
The Mystic Group, led by Portuguese businessman Mario Ferreira, has already established a river cruise operation; DouroAzul, which is claimed to be the largest luxury operator on the Douro River with 16 vessels.
Mystic also owns Nicko Cruises of Germany operating another 20 river vessels around the world, including the Danube, Rhine, Elbe, Yangtze, Mekong and Nile. Both brands will have new ships next year.
Ferreira anticipates that at least another three vessels will be delivered over the next four years.
‘World Explorer’ will be a 126 m long expedition cruise ship with a passenger capacity of 200 and a crew complement of 111.
The vessel will meet the latest IMO Polar Code operating requirements and will be equipped with hybrid power and propulsion technology, which will enable the ship to cruise in environmentally-sensitive areas.
Construction of the vessel has commenced at the West Sea shipyard in Viana do Castello, in northern Portugal and she is due to begin operations during the winter season of 2018.
Krzysztof Kozdron, Managing Director of SMC, said: “Schulte Marine Concept is pleased to enter the expedition cruise newbuilding segment with an innovative vessel such as the ‘World Explorer’, which will be the ultimate benchmark for environmental sustainability and luxury cruising in remote areas. We look forward to working in partnership with Mystic Cruises and West Sea shipyard on this prestigious project.”
