The former first lady of France, singer, songwriter, and supermodel Carla Bruni officially christened Mystic Cruises' World Explorer ship at WestSea Viana in Portugal.
The naming ceremony was held on Saturday evening, April 6. Carla Bruni cut the red ribbon to release a Methuselah of H.Blin Champagne against the ship's hull prior to performing songs from her recent albums. Bruni also invited popular Portuguese singer Pedro Abrunhosa for a duet.
MS World Explorer is a newbuild vessel specifically designed for polar operations (Arctic and Antarctica). The shipowner is Mystic Invest (via the subsidiary Mystic Cruises). The vessel is operated under charter by Nicko Cruises (subsidiary) and Quark Expeditions (Travelopia-owned cruise company founded in 1991). The shipbuilder is WestSEA (naval shipyard in Viana do Castelo, Portugal).
The ship World Explorer is the first in a planned 10-ship fleet of Mystic Cruises, with sisterships World Voyager (2020) and World Navigator (2021).