The largest expedition cruise shipowner SunStone Ships Inc announced the delivery of the company's 3rd newbuild - Ocean Victory.
With a goal of achieving European design with Chinese shipbuilding efficiency, the INFINITY class vessels deliver significant operating efficiencies and cutting-edge design.
Niels-Erik Lund (SunStone's CEO) said they were "very pleased with the high quality, design solutions and equipment packages."
"We are looking forward to continuing our relationships with all our partners in the Infinity-class project and we, even considering the COVID-19 world crisis, are moving fast forward at very satisfactory speed, safety and quality level.”
Ocean Victory will commence her Antarctica cruises in November 2021 sailing for Albatros Expeditions. For the summer season, AQV-American Queen Voyages is expected to operate the ship on Alaska Cruises.
The ship will depart CMHI-China Merchants Heavy Industry Xiamen, and be on her way to Manila (Luzon Island, Philippines) to pick up crew, then make a short stop in Papeete (Tahiti Island, French Polynesia), and from there head to Ushuaia Argentina where cruising will commence in late November.
On March 16, 2017, SunStone signed the shipbuilding agreement with the Hong Kong-based company "China Merchants Industry Holdings" (abbrev CMIH) for the construction of 4 units. SunStone is the world's largest (by tonnage) shipowner chartering exclusively expedition vessels to cruise travel companies. Since there is an option for an additional 6 sisterships, this "ULSTEIN CX103" project could be built up to 10 units. The USD 260 million shipbuilding order for the 4 units was signed in June 2017.