Rolls-Royce to Equip "Eco-Friendly" Cruise Vessel for Mystic Cruises

Rolls-Royce will equip an "eco-friendly" expeditionary oceanic cruise ship for Mystic Cruises. Image Credit: Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce plc (Rolls-Royce) has announced that it has signed an agreement with Martifer Group's WestSea Yard to equip an "eco-friendly" expeditionary oceanic cruise ship for Portugal-based Mystic Cruises with "environmentally sustainable and top of the line technology."

The vessel, which will be called the MS World Explorer, is said to have been designed in an effort reach the perfect balance between luxury, comfort, efficiency, and environmental friendly operation.

"Our experience of all aspects of ship design and construction, has allowed us to help Mystic Cruises, carefully consider the MS World Explorer 's operational profile and identify the optimum combination of technologies to use in order to reduce emissions and achieve improved performance and fuel economy," said John Roger Nesje, Vice President of Power Electric Systems – Marine at Rolls-Royce.

Construction of the vessel currently underway at the WestSea Shipyard in northern Portugal, with completion slated for October 2018.

"These are very exciting times for us, this project is something that we've been working on for some time, crafting it to perfection to meet our clients' and the market's needs," said Mário Ferreira, Mystic Cruises' CEO.

Upon completion, Rolls-Royce notes that the MS World Explorer will be employed on expeditionary cruise itineraries in Antarctica from November to March, visiting small ports around the world "normally not accessible to larger cruise ships" for the remainder of the season.

"Being one of the last unspoiled and untouched regions in the World, Antarctica poses a unique challenge for cruise companies in order to offer the high-quality service that guests are used to in other areas, while being environmentally sustainable," said Ferreira.

"For us it's essential to have a sustainable, efficient and environmental friendly solution. That is why we opted for the hybrid technology that Rolls-Royce proposed."

In June, Rolls-Royce announced the launch of its next generation Energy Management (EM) System, which the company says will enable customers to reduce energy usage, fuel consumption, and operating costs while supporting environmental compliance.