Shipyard De Hoop Delivers New Expedition Ship to Celebrity Cruises

Dutch shipyard De Hoop Lobith has delivered Celebrity Flora, a new expedition cruise ship, to the US-based Celebrity Cruises.

The 5,922 GT newbuild was handed over to its owner in Rotterdam on May 13, 2019, almost four months after its launching.

“The delivery of Celebrity Flora is a momentous occasion,” Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Celebrity’s parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, commented.

Today we celebrated the official delivery of #CelebrityFlora in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Many thanks to the hard-working team who built this amazing vessel. #Galapagos, here we come! pic.twitter.com/57Y40HEK3W

— Celebrity Cruises (@CelebrityCruise) May 13, 2019

Specifically designed for the Galapagos Islands, Celebrity Flora will sail from Baltra year-round, making its first sailing later this month.

“Designing a new ship specifically for the Galapagos Islands was an exciting challenge and we think Celebrity Flora succeeded beautifully,” Fain added.

The Bahamas-flagged Celebrity Flora is said to be the most energy-efficient ship of its kind in the region. The 100-passenger ship offers a 15 percent reduction of fuel consumption when compared to its class peers and equivalently fewer air emissions, due to the introduction of an advanced propulsion system, hull configuration and specially designed diesel engines.

Featuring a length of 97.4 meters and a width of 17 meters, Celebrity Flora can reach a cruise speed of 14 kts.

After more than two years of engineering and building, the expedition vessel will start its first journey to the Galapagos Islands this week.

World Maritime News Staff