SMALL LUXURY CRUISE SHIPS AND MEGAYACHTS: PHYSICAL SIMILARITIES, DIFFERENT DESIGN PHILOSOPHIES

摘要

Following the entry into force of the IMO's Polar Code a few years ago, there has been a surge in orders for expedition cruise ships and cruise yachts. Many of these cater for the very top end of the cruise market and - even externally - bear a strong resemblance to large, private mega yachts. In early 2019, Netherlands-headquartered Damen Group said that it had signed a preliminary contract with Sea Dream to build a 15,600gt cruise yacht for the Norwegian company. This would be much larger than the two 104m, 4,200gt vessels Sea Dream currently operates. However, just before the end of that year, the parties announced they had decided to cancel. Damen is a well-known builder of megayachts, but Mark Vermeulen, director of its mid-sized vessel division, says a return to cruise ships equivalent to the cancelled Sea Dream project is not on the agenda for now.