Image Courtesy: Ulstein

Norwegian ship designer Ulstein Design & Solutions AS confirmed it has been awarded a contract by China Merchant Group (CMG), which will build an expedition cruise vessel for Miami-based expedition vessels provider SunStone.

As informed, the contract includes the design and equipment package for one and options for additional nine vessels.

The Ulstein CX103 expedition cruise ship will be 104.3 meters long and 18.4 meters wide and will be able to accommodate 255 persons.

The ship, to be constructed at China Merchants Heavy Industry yard, is planned for delivery in 2019, according to Ulstein.

Ulstein said the hull will be built in accordance with polar class PC6 and that it would comply with the notation Safe Return to Port and Virtual Anchorage.

“This is a strategically very important contract for us and we are very pleased that we were chosen for this project. The team effort and cooperation between the ship owner, interior designer, yard, broker, sub-suppliers and our employees has been very good. We look forward to making this project become a reality,” Eva Kristensen, Managing Director of Ulstein Design & Solutions AS, commented.