Croatian shipbuilder Brodosplit has handed over Hondius, a new polar cruise ship, to Dutch-based company Oceanwide Expeditions (OEX).
The delivery ceremony for Hondius took place in the Split harbor on May 23, 2019.
On the same day, Brodosplit and Oceanwide signed a new shipbuilding agreement for another vessel of the same class. Hondius’ sister polar vessel will be named Janssonius, Brodosplit revealed in a Facebook update.
The two ships are valued at over EUR 100 million (around USD 112 million), according to the shipbuilder.
Hondius, which was ordered back in 2016, features a length of 107.6 meters and a width of 17.6 meters. Equipped with two main engines with a total power of 4,260 kW, it can reach a speed of 15 knots.
The newbuild can accommodate 196 passengers in 85 cabins, which will be taken care of by 70 crew members.
The polar expedition cruise ship is said to be the first vessel in the world to be built to the class “LR PC6”, which meets the latest Lloyd’s Register requirements for “Polar Class 6” vessels — the highest polar class notation for ice-strengthened passenger vessels.
Following the delivery, Hondius embarked on its first voyage to the Netherlands.
