By
Elly Yates-Roberts |
Croatian shipyard Brodosplit held a keel-laying ceremony for Quark Expeditions’ Ultramarine in early August. The purpose-built Antarctic exploration ship will join the fleet in late 2020.
The ceremony, which featured a Croatian folk music performance, marks the next stage in the ship’s construction: the building of her hull and superstructure.
“We thank the team at Brodosplit for hosting this ceremony,” said Malcolm Ellis, senior vice president of operations at Quark Expeditions. “A lot of hard work from a lot of talented people has been required to get us to this point. It’s exciting to see our collective vision for this ship come to life, and to have the opportunity to thank everyone involved for their tremendous dedication and effort.”
The event also included a centuries-old coin ceremony, in which a specially chosen coin is welded into the ship’s hull for good fortune.
“The coin we chose is a beautiful silver coin featuring two Emperor penguins,” said Ellis. “We chose this coin because it perfectly embodies Quark’s mission: to push the boundaries of polar exploration. In our three decades of operation, Quark Expeditions has accomplished a long list of polar firsts, including being the first to take guests to Snow Hill Island, Antarctica to engage with Emperor penguins in their natural habitat.
“Ultramarine’s mix of design ingenuity and technological innovation will allow us to continue adding to that list of firsts by taking guests further into the polar regions than ever before.”
When she enters service in 2020, the ship will offer its guests an outdoor, forward-facing Observation Deck, a lecture theatre, a wine-tasting bar, a wellness centre and more.
“Ultramarine is purpose-built for the polar regions,” said Ellis. “With this ship, in the hands of the industry’s most knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated team, we will continue to define what is possible in polar exploration while delivering transformational experiences to our guests.”