Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc and shipbuilder and designer Ulstein Group have celebrated the keel laying of Lindblad’s second polar new build at the Crist shipyard in Gdynia, Poland. The occasion also served as the official naming ceremony of the vessel.
National Geographic Resolution was named to honour Captain James Cook, the explorer who was the first to circumnavigate Antarctica, cross the Antarctic Circle, and the first European to reach Hawaii. While he captained several ships in his career, his favourite was the HMS Resolution.
Scheduled for delivery in Q4 2021, she is sister ship to the National Geographic Endurance which will make her inaugural voyage in April 2020. The 126-guest Polar-Class-5 National Geographic Resolution will feature Ulstein’s signature X-Bow.
A highlight of the ceremony was the traditional laying of the commemorative silver coin, the Hawaii Sesquicentennial half dollar, struck in 1928 by the United States Bureau of the Mint in honour of the 150th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s landing in Hawaii. The rare coin is owned by Sven Lindblad and depicts Captain Cook on the obverse and a Hawaiian chieftain on the reverse.
Joining from the Lindblad team in Poland for the occasion was Nikolaos Doulis, Senior VP, New Buildings and Reed Ameel, New-Build Site Manager. Present for Ulstein was Kenneth Pettersen, Project Director and Jarle Åsemyr, manager hull department. Among the CRIST representatives was Marek Lewczuk, Project Manager.
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