December 18 (SeeNews) - Croatian shipbuilding company Brodosplit said it has held a steel cutting ceremony for a second polar cruise ship for Oceanwide Expeditions, thus marking the beginning of the construction of the ship.
"The ship should be built in time for the arctic season 2021. We plan to deliver it somewhat earlier. The profit we will earn from this ship should be some 10% of its value," the head of Brodosplit, Tomislav Debeljak, said in a statement on Tuesday when the steel cutting ceremony was held.
He did not provide any financial details on the project.
In May, Brodosplit delivered the first Polar Class 6 cruise ship it had built for Oceanwide Expeditions, named Hondius, following which the buyer placed an order for a second sister vessel.
The new ship will be named Janssonius after the famous Dutch cartographer, and will be 107.6 metres long and 17.6 metres wide. Its two main engines with total power of 4,260 kW will provide for a speed of 15 knots. The ship will be able to host 196 passengers in 85 cabins, plus 70 crew members.
Back in May, Brodosplit said that the combined value of the two Oceanwide Expeditions ships exceeds 100 million euro ($111 million), adding that some 70% of the components for their construction originate in Croatia.
Split-based Brodosplit designs and builds ships including tankers, product/chemical/bulk carriers, container vessels, passenger vessels, car passenger ferries and more.
($=0.89792 euro)