The Norwegian Fincantieri subsidiary VARD has delivered the third VARD expedition cruise ship to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises in Germany, the HANSEATIC spirit.
The handover of the HANSEATIC spirit completes the series of three ships in the new Hapag-Lloyd Cruises expedition class. The ship will now be included in the state-of-the-art expedition fleet alongside the identical sister ships HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration, which VARD delivered in 2019. The 138 m long and 22 m wide HANSEATIC spirit went from Norway to Hamburg on June 29th and will set off on its maiden voyage at the end of August.
“We are proud to welcome HANSEATIC spirit as the newest member of the fleet. I am pleased that we were able to work successfully with the VARD shipyard in a challenging time to complete this construction and now to be able to present a state-of-the-art expedition fleet with three small and agile 5-star expedition ships. I have great respect for everyone involved and would like to express my thanks to all of them, ”said Julian Pfitzner, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
General Manager of the Cruise Business Unit at VARD, Attilio Dapelo, said: “I am really impressed by everyone at VARD and Fincantieri, the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises team and everyone involved in this project. Building such a ship is quite a challenge. In addition, we are exposed to enormous additional pressure from COVID. Despite all this, thanks to an excellent and solution-oriented collaboration, we have succeeded in completing and delivering HANSEATIC spirit. It is a beautiful vessel that deserves its name Spirit. “
Like its sister ships HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration, the HANSEATIC spirit offers space for 230 guests or 199 guests. The new construction contract for the ship was completed in 2018. The steel cutting ceremony took place in June 2019 in Vard Tulcea, Romania. The keel was laid in July 2019 and the construction of the hull of the expedition ship began. The ship was towed to Vard Langsten in Norway at the end of 2020 for further equipment, completion, testing and delivery.
The ship was officially handed over at the handover ceremony in Vard Langsten on June 28, 2021.
Yard Director at Vard Langsten, Ronny Opsjøn Langset, said: “All three sister ships of the new Hapag-Lloyd Cruise expedition class have now been delivered. In developing these beautiful ships, we really had to do our best across borders and disciplines. The ships are delivered with the highest standards of ship design, technical solutions, noise and vibration to perfection of the interior. Thanks to the dedication and dedication of all of our designers, system developers and shipbuilders, we have succeeded in building and delivering this unique fleet of luxurious expedition cruise ships. Today I am very happy to be able to hand over HANSEATIC spirit to its owners. “
