Australia’s pioneering expedition cruise line, Coral Expeditions, continues to expand their Australian-flagged fleet announcing the order of a fifth ship, Coral Geographer, to be delivered in December 2020. The new build, which is currently under construction at VARD Shipyard, will be a sister ship to the company’s recently launched Coral Adventurer, which arrived in-home waters in Darwin, Australia, earlier this month.
The 120-passenger Coral Geographer will feature the same state-of-the-art specifications as the Coral Adventurer. However, in response to market demand, the new ship will have an increased proportion of bridge deck suites–up from 2 to 6 large suites-all featuring horizon bathtubs new ship order further extends the growth plans of the company and the modernization of the fleet towards 2021. The fleet is designed for exploration with small passenger numbers, world-leading proprietary expedition capabilities, and ability to access the farthest regions of the world with comfort and ease.
In a first for Coral Expeditions and drawing on the company’s pioneering tradition, in her maiden season the Coral Geographerwill embark on an expedition series exploring the“Small Islands of the Indian Ocean”. In January 2021, Coral Geographer will set sail on her inaugural voyage over 25-nights from Singapore to Seychelles including the islands of Sumatra, Sri Lanka and numerous remote atolls of the Maldives before ending in the Seychelles.
Her second sailing will be over 15-nights from the Seychelles to Mauritius, featuring an extensive exploration of the remote coastline of northern Madagascar, Reunion Island, and Aldabra atoll, named by David Attenborough as “one of the wonders of the world” and as a “crown jewel” of the Indian Ocean.
The third voyage will see her complete an epic traverse of the Indian Ocean from Mauritius back home to Fremantle, Australia. This voyage is being planned as a 25-30 night research exploration and in conjunction with partners focused on scientific and natural environment content. Guest numbers will be strictly limited on this voyage.
Voyages 1 and 2 of the Coral Geographer maiden series are open for bookings from this week, whilst Voyage 3 across the Indian Ocean is open to expressions of interest at this time from individuals and associations.
Coral Expeditions has launched the first phase of its new “Australian Coastal Wilderness” sailing schedule with the release of nine Great Barrier Reef expeditions commencing in October 2020.
