Fincantieri has announced that its subsidiary Vard Holdings Limited has signed a Letter of Intent with the French ship owner Ponant, a subsidiary of Artemis Group, for the construction of four small-sized luxury cruise vessels. “The Letter, subject to several conditions including satisfactory ship owner financing, marks the entrance of Vard in the cruise shipbuilding sector,” Fincantieri said in a statement.
Vard is a Norwegian company active in the design and shipbuilding of offshore and specialised vessels. These markets have suffered significantly in the past two years following the sharp fall in the price of oil and other commodities. Fincantieri owns 55.6% of the shares in Vard.
The four exploration cruise vessels will be 128 meters long, 18 meters wide, and will be approximately 10,000 gross tons. They will have a cruise speed of 15 knots and they can accommodate 180 passengers in 92 cabins with a 110-member crew. The deliveries are scheduled in Norway in the period summer 2018 to the summer 2019.
“The ships will be arranged with the very latest environmentally friendly technologies and with high class of luxury facilities on board. They will be able, due to their small size, to reach ports and destinations inaccessible to larger vessels. The interior fittings will be designed on a “human scale” with the utmost attention to detail,” Fincantieri said.
Fincantieri has built four ships for Ponant, the entire current feet of the French company.
