STX France Ulysseas

STX France unveiled an innovative expedition cruise ship concept - a 200-passenger ice-class vessel aimed at the growing adventure market, named Ulysseas.

Unique feature on the ship are the large glass areas and French balconies, with floor to ceiling windows around the entire vessel, and a 360-degree observation lounge located forward. The Ulysseas concept measures 145-meter length and nine decks.

Ulysseas concept’s unique form of the hull has been designed with basin-testing. With a wide-ranging profile between ice cruising at low speed and potential high-speed transits through the Drake Passage, service speed is targeted at 17 knots.

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STX France today unveiled a new unique expedition ship concept. Dubbed Ulysseas, the idea is a 200-passenger ice-class cruise ship aimed at the growing adventure and expedition market.

“We think this segment has a potential market,” said Xavier Leclercq, technical director of the shipyard, speaking exclusively to Cruise Industry News. With big ship orders on the books from Royal Caribbean, MSC and Celebrity, STX is now turning toward expedition, where the market is mostly made up of operators using second-hand tonnage and there may be a clear market entry opportunity.

Unique on the ship are large glass areas and French balconies on the concept vessel, with floor to ceiling windows seemingly around the entire ship, with a 360-degree observation lounge mounted on the forward part of the vessel.

“The vessel design is a proposal and we will see how ship owners and the market reacts to this,” noted Leclercq, who joined STX in 2001 to work on a Festival Cruises newbuild project. “It’s innovative and different, and really a new idea to this segment.”

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