Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has christened Hanseatic Nature, the first of three ships in the company’s new expedition class.

The christening ceremony took place at the Port of Hamburg on May 4, 2019.

The 15,650 gross ton vessel left Hamburg the next day for its inaugural cruise to Scotland and Norway.

Featuring a length of 138 meters and a width of 22 meters, the ship can accommodate up to 230 passengers — 199 for Antarctic expeditions and cruises around Spitsbergen — and 175 crew members.

Equipped with the latest environmentally-friendly technologies, the new ship will be powered with marine gasoil (MGO) on approximately 70 percent of its voyages, according to the company.

From July 2020, all expedition ships operated by the company will start using this clean fuel with lower sulphur content, Hapag-Lloyd earlier said.

On May 3, the brand new Hanseatic Nature completed its very first maiden call in Hamburg after it had been handed over by Norwegian shipbuilder Vard to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises on April 30, 2019.

The construction of Hanseatic Nature commenced back in May 2017. The newbuild was planned to be launched on April 12 this year, however, Vard needed more time to finalize the works on the cruise ship.

Hanseatic Nature’s two sister vessels — Hanseatic Inspiration and Hanseatic Spirit — are scheduled to join the company’s fleet in October 2019 and May 2021, respectively.

World Maritime News Staff; Video Courtesy: Unimedien