The Scenic Eclipse, the revolutionary discovery yacht being built by Australian shipping magnate Glen Moroney, has taken her first journey outside the Croatian shipyard where she is being completed.
Delayed twice thanks to financial problems and strikes in the yard, the company is now determined to meet the latest August deadline for her first cruise.
Six days ago, she was filmed on her first tentative journey outside the Uljanik Shipyard where she has been undergoing her troubled build – though it is unclear whether she was running under her own power. See the ship here.
There is a new captain – James Griffiths, a seasoned veteran from lines like Lindblad and Windstar. A head of expedition, American Kara Weller, and a culinary director, Guillermo Muro, formerly from Seabourn.
Captain Griffiths says in a blog on the company’s website: “Scenic Eclipse is setting an entirely new standard in the Cruise and Expedition industry.
“We are the first cruise ship to house our own helicopters and submarine and will be the first expedition ship in service to comply with the latest ‘Safe Return to Port’ regulations that necessitate two independent engine rooms, two independent bridges and multi-redundancy in provision areas, galleys and power distribution, as well as Polar Class 6, which puts the ship’s ice strength above 1A Super – the highest of the Swedish Ice Classes before you become an ice breaker.”
He adds: “For my crew, I have been delighted how quick the very best people in the industry have been to join me on board the Scenic Eclipse.”
Meanwhile, the company has revealed more about the submarine that will carry guests beneath the waves.
The Scenic Neptune submarine will carry six passengers and a pilot, and will offer up to eight dives a day.
In an update on the construction, the company says on its website: “We are very pleased to report that build progress in all areas of Scenic Eclipse has been moving along well.
“We did have to deal with a week long shipyard workers’ strike that took place at the end of March, resulting in a near halt to work onboard. Although this strike did not involve any of the workers assigned to Scenic Eclipse, it did cause a delay in some commissioning and other works onboard as most of our sub contractors were prevented from boarding the ship.
“To make up for this short interruption, we have extended shifts during the week and increased weekend workers capacity in order to regain lost time and are currently at full production.
“We are confident the build schedule will progress as planned and Scenic Eclipse will launch on time.
“All mechanical systems are complete with commissioning progressing well. All four main engines have been fully load tested and the ship is now operating under its own power.
“Scenic Eclipse’s first sea trial is planned for the end of May and further updates will be given at that time.”
The first sailing of Scenic Eclipse is scheduled for August 15, 2019 – an Iceland and Atlantic Canada voyage from Reyjavik to Quebec.
