Sea Explorer

Sea Explorer in harbor of Rethymno port (Greece, Crete)
History
Marshall Islands
Name: Sea Explorer
Owner: Danish Clipper Group[1]
Operator: Polar Latitudes,[2] Poseidon Expeditions[3]
Port of registry: Majuro
Builder: Cantiere Navale Ferrari-Signani, La Spezia, Italy
Laid down: December 17, 1987
Launched: April 13, 1991
Completed: December 02, 1991
In service: April 13, 1991
Identification:
Status: In service as of November 2013
General characteristics
Tonnage: Gross Tonnage: 4200 tons, Net Tonnage: 1263 tons
Displacement: 3,250 tons
Length: 90.36 m (296 ft 5 in)
Beam:
  • 30 m (98 ft 5 in) (max)
  • 28 m (92 ft) (waterline)
Draught: 4.05 m (13 ft 3 in)
Depth: 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
Decks: 7
Ice class: 1C
Propulsion: 2 x B&W Holeby engines, 8L28/32AF, 2 x 1760 KW at 750 RPM
Speed: 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph) (max)
Capacity: 120 passengers
Crew: 72

Sea Explorer is a cruise ship formerly owned by Danish Clipper Group and operated by Polar Latitudes, Poseidon Expeditions and Quark Expeditions. She mainly operates in Antarctica and in the Arctic. She was also known under the names Renaissance VII, Regina Renaissance, Renai I, Sun, Island Sun and Corinthian II.

In the early 1990s the Renaissance Cruises company built eight small cruise ships, split in two groups of four vessels of different design. Originally named Renaissance VII, Sea Explorer was the third completed of the second group of identical sister ships, all of which were given numeric names in the form of Roman figures (from I to VIII).

Designed to operate in almost any place of the world, this ship accommodated up to 120 passengers in 59 cabins. The lounge and dining room were both large enough to welcome all passengers at one time. There were also other facilities, such as swimming pool and nightclub. In 1992 Renaissance VII was chartered by a tour company, Raymond & White, and was renamed Regina Renaissance, cruising for several years in the Caribbean. The charter ended in 1998, and ship was returned to her original name and changed her itinerary for cruising in the Mediterranean in summer and in the Indian Ocean in winter, being presented mainly in North American and European markets.

Renaissance Cruises went bankrupt in October 2001, and Renaissance VII was sold to a business group that had invested in the company. They have renamed the vessel Renai I, but remained idle, for sale or charter.

In 2003 the ship's name was changed to Sun, and the year after, the vessel was bought by International Shipping, who renamed her Island Sun, and then she was chartered by Mauritius Island Cruises. They planned to operate the vessel on a regular basis, making cruises around Mauritius from Port Louis. Unfortunately the company did not pass through bureaucratic regulations enforced by the government and was forced to cease operations after only a couple of days.

During 2004, a company named Around The World Cruises began to promote cruises from Fremantle for the coming summer. After experiencing some difficulties, the company finally managed to obtain Island Sun at a very short notice, and she duly arrived in Fremantle on 26 November. After making only four short cruises the departure that was scheduled for 10 December was cancelled almost before the voyage, and the operating company went bankrupt few days later.

A bit later Mauritius Island Cruises also collapsed, and in 2005 Island Sun was sold to the Danish Clipper Group, and the vessel was chartered to an American company named Travel Dynamics International. They renamed the vessel Corinthian II, refurbished and redecorated her, and for eight years she cruised mainly in the Mediterranean region and later in Antarctica.

In 2013 the ship was chartered from Clipper Group by Polar Latitudes and Poseidon Expeditions. New expeditions aboard the vessel take part in Antarctica and the Arctic.

In June 2014, Australian cruise line, AP Touring, along with UK partner and cruise operator, Noble Caledonia, announced they had acquired the vessel. She joined the fleet in October 2014, along with former Renaissance sister vessels, MS Island Sky and MS Caledonian Sky. The ship will have a refit in April 2016. [4]

References

  1. ↑ "List of vessels managed by ISP". Isp-usa.com. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  2. ↑ "Corinthian II Chartered to Polar Latitudes". Cruiseindustrynews.com. 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  3. ↑ "Poseidon Expeditions Announces Antarctica Cruise Booking Aboard m/v Sea Explorer for 2013 and 2014". Emailwire.com. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  4. ↑ http://www.expeditioncruising.com/2014/06/sea-explorer-aquired-by-apt.html
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