Cruise and Ferry Review - Summer/Spring 2020

1 5 7 V IEWPOINT Exploring the world in comfort Building on decades of industry experience, SunStone Ships is designing and developing its own fleet of next-generation expedition cruise ships A t SunStone Ships, we’ve decided to focus entirely on the fast-expanding expedition cruise market. It’s this strategy that has enabled us to become the largest tonnage provider of small cruise ships in the world. Until recently, our aim was to buy quality ships. However, availability has reduced and so we made the decision to create our own Infinity-class ships. Designed in Europe, but assembled in China, these are very proficient ships, which are quick to build and cost-effective to run. We’ve done everything we can to create the safest, most comfortable expedition cruise vessels. Fulfilling more than just safety requirements, these ships are Ice Class 1A, Polar Code 6 vessels, built with Safe Return to Port, dynamic positioning, Rolls Royce zero-speed stabilisers and four Wärtsilä engines making them not only fuel efficient, but also as green as possible. These vessels are small enough to give an exclusive atmosphere, yet large enough to yield all the sophistication and first-class service people have come to expect from us. Following the early delivery of Greg Mortimer in September 2019, we have the following Infinity-class newbuilds under way: Ocean Victory with delivery in October 2020, Ocean Explorer with delivery January 2021, Sylvia Earle with delivery September 2021, Niels-Erik Lund: SunStone Ships SMOOTH AND STEADY SunStone’s Infinity class ships feature an X-Bow hull by Ulstein Design & Solutions. The X-Bow design creates less pitching, slamming, noise and fuel consumption making for a faster, smoother more comfortable cruising, even in bad weather. Design note: