A new cruise ship launching this month boasts a feature which could prevent passengers suffering from seasickness, reports the Telegraph.
Greg Mortimer cruise ship
Cruise line Aurora Expeditions will see the Greg Mortimer cruise ship set sail this October.
Instead of featuring the conventional bulbous bow seen on regular cruise ships, this vessel has something quite different.
The 80-cabin Greg Mortimer is the first expedition ship to incorporate the patented Ulstein X-Bow.
Game changer in Shipping sector
The X-Bow – which rather resembles the nose of a Concorde – is a ‘true game changer for the industry,’ according to Aurora Expeditions.
“Instead of the traditional bow shape and design that punches through the water, the Ulstein X-Bow hull is curved in a novel shape which increases the foreship volume,” explains the cruise company’s website.
“As a result, the bow penetrates the waves in a way where the water gently flows over the bow – reducing impact and slamming loads.”
This results in the following benefits on board the ship:
- reduced bow impact and slamming loads,
- reduced wave-induced vibrations,
- lower acceleration levels,
- lower pitch response due to volume and
- lower speedloss
Better stability than traditional bow
Aurora Expeditions explains: “The main advantage of the Ulstein X-Bow is that it can pierce waves with more stability than a traditional ship bow.“
“Instead of simply rising on the waves and then dropping with tremendous force, the X-Bow is able to absorb the force more consistency across its surface, enabling the ship to remain more stable during poor weather conditions, increasing comfort for passengers and crew alike.”
Innovations on deck
With safer and speedier boarding of smaller craft in mind, the ship has four sea-level launch platforms for the 15 zodiacs to enable speedy transfers (ordinarily passengers board group by group from a pontoon at the back) and a new kayak chute.
Instead of being lowered to the sea over the side of the ship they hit the water via the chute and are then tethered to a pontoon made from Lego-style blocks that keep the boats stable. This sure beats shuffling into it from a zodiac.
Two hydraulic viewing platforms built into the wings of the ship swing out to provide unobstructed views of penguins, albatross, polar bears, whales and ice – tonnes and tonnes of it.
Environmental Stewardship
Virtual anchoring technology means no more anchor and chains dropping to the sea floor.
Water filtration is done on board, cleaning products are biodegradable and phosphate-free and seafood is sustainably sourced and meets Marine Stewardship Council Fisheries standards.
Cruise fare
The ship sails through Spitsbergen, Greenland, Franz Josef Land, the Svalbard archipelago, Patagonia, the Chilean Fjords, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica.
A 12-day Antarctic Explorer fly/sail itinerary in January 2020 costs from £8,100pp.
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Source: The Telegraph
