By
Rebecca Gibson |
Marine wildlife artist and ocean conservationist Guy Harvey is to design the signature hull artwork of Norwegian Cruise Line’s largest ship to date, Norwegian Escape.
Harvey – who is also a keen marine biologist, photographer, diver and angler – will illustrate two underwater scenes of marine wildlife, which span 1,065 ft from the ship’s hull to the aft.
“I am deeply honoured to be asked by Norwegian to paint the hull of the newest and largest ship in their fleet,” said Harvey. “The larger than life paintings of popular but endangered marine creatures in the Caribbean will heighten public awareness about marine life. The large scale mural demonstrates the concern and respect that Norwegian and I have for the marine environment through which this ship will travel over the years.”
In addition, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation-produced documentaries about endangered marine wildlife will be shown on the televisions in the guest staterooms to teach passengers about the dangers facing marine wildlife and encourage conservation.
“We appreciate how Guy is focused on ocean conservation and keeping the marine environment pristine, we plan to work with him to help support the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation as that goes hand-in-hand with our company’s strong commitment to the environment,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s CEO. “Guy Harvey is the perfect artist to design Norwegian Escape’s hull artwork because he is so passionate about the sea and his marine artwork is so life-like and well recognised.”
Scheduled to debut in October 2015, Norwegian Escape will homeport year-round in Miami and sail a seven-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary starting 14 November, calling at Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas.
“PortMiami looks forward to welcoming Norwegian Escape in 2015 and the ship will be a fabulous addition to our fleet,” said PortMiami director Bill Johnson. “We are thrilled that this impressive vessel will make her debut at PortMiami – known as the ‘Cruise Capital of the World’ – and will be the third Norwegian Cruise Line ship to homeport here year-round.”
The 163,000 gt vessel will accommodate 4,200 passengers and offer a range of innovative features that were previously debuted on Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, as well as a number of new spaces and interactive experiences that are yet to be announced.