Coral Expeditions launches new ship Coral Adventurer

Coral Expeditions has launched its fourth and largest expedition ship, Coral Adventurer.

The christening of Coral Adventurer took place in Singapore on April 24, with Coral Expeditions’ senior management, key stakeholders and global media guests in attendance to witness the christening of the newest addition to the Australian line’s fleet of expedition ships.

Quek Peck Lim was named godmother of the new vessel and blessed her launch.

Mark Fifield, group general manager at Coral Expeditions, said: “It has been a rewarding journey from the initial conception of Coral Adventurer to now seeing her embark on open waters. The build process tracked ahead of schedule and on budget. We have stuck to our conviction of a true expedition product, with capacity limited to only 120 guests so we do not dilute the guest experience.

“The future for Coral Adventurer is bright with unique itineraries planned to showcase her capabilities for extended expeditions in remote areas.”

The ship is currently on her sold-out maiden voyage, “In the Trail of Tasman”, an 18-day expedition cruise through the Indonesian Archipelago. The cruise retraces the historic adventures of Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, who was first to map the coastlines of New Zealand, New Guinea and Northern Australia in the 17th century.

After its inaugural sailing, Coral Adventurer will arrive in Australian waters for the first time with an official ceremonial welcome in Darwin on May 12. That evening, the ship will commence a 10-night venture through West Papua on its second itinerary, “Wildlife and Warriors”, before returning to Darwin to resume the Kimberley season.

Coral Expeditions’ senior master Gary Wilson said: “Our itineraries are like no other as the combination of expedition cruising in remote coastal waters, matched with our warm Australian hospitality and decades of expedition experience, ensure guests enjoy pushing the boundaries. [We] take travellers even closer to places that haven’t been explored before.”

Coral Adventurer has been specially designed by Coral Expeditions and Vard shipyard with the latest technical advances and more than 34 years of experience building and operating expedition ships.

Its interior spaces have been designed by Brisbane-based design firm Arkhefield, which drew inspiration from the company’s Australian roots and the exotic locations the ship will visit. There is also a wide selection of specially commissioned indigenous artworks in the ship’s common areas.

A guest observation lounge located in the bridge – a Coral Expeditions trademark – allows guests to immerse themselves in the navigation activity and interact with crew along the way.

A multipurpose space, the Barralong Room, will operate as part of an ongoing partnership with the Australian Geographic Society and institutional partners to host interpretive activities and projects that connect guests in an engaging format throughout their cruise.

The ship’s lightweight dual Xplorer expedition tenders, another trademark feature of all Coral Expeditions vessels, will extend the capabilities of the ship by allowing fast transit for all passengers with open views and deeper exploration on shore excursions. A small fleet of inflatable zodiacs allow for more intrepid exploration and personal experiences.