By
Rebecca Gibson |
Luxury ocean travel brand Explora Journeys has marked two construction milestones at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa, Italy: the float-out of Explora V and the coin ceremony for Explora VI.
Explora V was floated out of dry dock for the first time, with Consuelo Brunelli, production planner at Fincantieri, serving as godmother for the preceding ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ship will now undergo interior outfitting at another dock before entering service towards the end of 2027.
Meanwhile, Explora Journeys’ president Anna Nash and Camilla Ronco, PRS workshop manager at the shipyard, served as godmothers for Explora VI’s coin ceremony, placing commemorative coins under the ship’s keel. The vessel is scheduled to debut in summer 2028.
From left, event host Marina Minetti, godmother Camilla Ronco, Fincantieri's Pierroberto Folgiero, Explora Journeys’ Anna Nash and MSC Group’s Pierfrancesco Vago at the coin ceremony for Explora VI (Photo: Explora Journeys)
Representatives of national and local institutions, maritime authorities and the wider maritime industry attended the double ceremony alongside Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Group’s cruise division; Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and managing director of Fincantieri; and Luigi Matarazzo, general manager of Fincantieri’s merchant ships division.
“Explora VI marks an important milestone in our journey and represents how far we have come in bringing a new category of ultra-elegant ocean travel to life,” said Nash. “Having joined Explora Journeys at such a pivotal stage in its development, becoming godmother to the sixth ship in our fleet is an extraordinary honour and a deeply personal moment for me. I am immensely proud of what we have built together, and excited by what lies ahead as we continue to shape the future of ocean travel and create even more meaningful experiences for our guests. Explora VI may mark the completion of our first six ships, but it is by no means the final chapter.”
Explora V floated out from dry dock and will now undergo interior outfitting (Photo: Explora Journeys)
Both Explora V and Explora VI have been designed to run on LNG and renewable and next-generation fuels, including bio-LNG, synthetic LNG and biofuels. In addition, Explora VI will feature fuel cell technology and Explora V is being designed to accommodate this technology in the future. They can also connect to shore power.