Norwegian ship designer Ulstein has received a contract to design the fourth expedition cruise vessel for Miami-based SunStone Ships, in their Infinity series.
The vessel, which will be constructed at the China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI) yard in China, is a CX103 design featuring the X-BOW and designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions.
The SunStone ship design contracts were the first cruise contracts for Ulstein, a ship design company with long experience from the offshore industry. Their patented bow, the X-BOW, has originally been developed for excellent seakeeping in rough conditions, but has also the advantage of more space in the bow areas, areas which on these vessels have been taken in use for spacious lounges with outstanding views.
Vantage Cruise Line will be the charterer for the fourth vessel, the ‘Ocean Explorer’. Planned cruises include East Asia, the Mediterranean and Scandinavia.
The Infinity Class vessels are 104,4 m long and 18,4 m wide. They have a passenger capacity of 130-200, and a crew capacity of 85-115, small enough to give an exclusive atmosphere, large enough to yield all expected services and facilities, such as jacuzzi, bar and restaurant, boutique, an open-air cinema, gym and spa.
The vessel harbours loads of gear for outdoor activities such as biking, kayaking or paddleboarding, and small tender boats.
The Infinity class project is a worldwide cooperation, with the ship owner, operator (charterer) and ship interior designer in the US, the design company is Scandinavian (Norway), and the shipbuilding is carried out in China.