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SunStone Ships launches Boundless class
SunStone Maritime Group’s chief executive tells PST about the design of its new series of cruise ships
SunStone Ships is launching a new series of ships and is on the verge of signing a contract with a shipyard.
The new Boundless class will consist of 10 cruise ships (four firm ships and six options). SunStone Maritime Group chief executive Niels-Erik Lund tells PST the new shipyard is not China based. The shipowner used China Merchants Heavy Industry to build its Infinity-class vessels.
While the new series of ships will share many features with Infinity class, including Safe Return to Port, Polar Class 6, an inverted bow, zero-speed stabilisers and dynamic positioning, the ships will be 125 m long rather than 104 m. This will allow Boundless cruise ships to hold 20-30% more passengers.
Mr Lund explains, “We have more and more clients that do not go to polar regions and for non-polar regions, ships can have more passengers and be more efficient. These ships will still be expedition ships but geared to warm water expeditions.”
This means the newbuilds will be more efficient on a passenger basis. Mr Lund says, “The fuel consumption will be the same as the Infinity class, but Boundless will have 20-30% more passengers, so will be more efficient for charterers.”
Mr Lund explains the ships will be future proofed so they can be adapted to alternative and new sources of power in the future. They will include an electric grid which will allow the shipowner to add fuel cells, solar panels or batteries to the cruise ships. There are four diesel generators, where one can be taken out at a time to create space for fuel cells or battery packs.
Mr Lund sums up, “We have made them as future proofed as we can but ensured they can still work in today’s market.”
Asked about possible future energy sources, he says, “Fuel cells when they work and are efficient would be a good option and a fuel that can burn in a diesel generator, perhaps methanol.”
But he rules out LNG as “we do not have capacity on board for LNG, and we cannot buy LNG in the areas of the world where we operate”.
The ships will have shore connections for power when the vessels are in port.
Like the Infinity-class vessels, the Boundless will have an inverted bow.
Mr Lund comments, “There is a lot less vibration and noise, as you don’t have slamming and there is fuel efficiency as the ships don’t have that stopping situation whenever they approach a wave. The wave falls off the bow, so they can keep a higher speed in bad weather, versus ships that must slow down. There is also more comfort for passengers.”
Infinity-class deliveries
SunStone has just ordered the seventh vessel in its Infinity series. Five vessels have been delivered, the sixth will be delivered Q2 2023, and the seventh will be delivered in 2025.
The seventh will be the last vessel in the Infinity series. SunStone has been very happy with the co-operation between the yard, Ulstein (which designed the vessel), Finnish outfitters Makinen and interior designer Tomas Tillberg Design. Despite being built in China, all equipment on the ships is European.
“We operate in such remote areas that we must have technology that is tested. We do not want something new, and our ships go to places where there are no suppliers or contractors, you can’t buy anything, so we use tested equipment from suppliers who have worked for the cruise ship industry for at least 10 years,” says Mr Lund.
It took delivery of its two latest Infinity-class vessels, Ocean Odyssey and Sylvia Earle last year.
Both were delivered on the same day in October 2022, the former will be going to Vantage Travel, and the latter to Aurora Expeditions.
Designed by Tomas Tillberg Design, as all the Infinity-class are, both ships represent different interior styles.
Ocean Odyssey is the same as Ocean Explorer, which was delivered to Vantage Deluxe World Travel last year. The ships will travel in warm waters, which has an impact on the design and layout of the vessels. A stand-out feature is the lounge in the bow of the ship. This has two-deck floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the ship’s bow so passengers can enjoy the views.
Mr Lund says, “Ocean Explorer and Ocean Odyssey have dark wood and warm colours. The forward lounge with its windows, upper-level library and staircase, is a beautiful place to sit. Passengers are happy with the functional, warm and pleasant layout.”
To take advantage of the warm climes it will be travelling in, Ocean Odyssey has three outside sun decks and outside dining. A stand-out feature is the infinity pool and its accompanying sun deck.
Describing it, Mr Lund says, “The sun deck, with its two jacuzzis, pool bar and pool is a very nice area. The pool ends are glass, so you can look right into the ocean.”
Mr Lund says Sylvia Earle is different to Ocean Odyssey, explaining, “Sylvia Earle is quite different. The interiors, restaurants and lounges have a different layout and colour scheme. The main reason is the demographic of the passengers - Vantage is marketing to American senior citizens, so has a warmer colour scheme. Aurora has younger, more expedition-type passengers, mostly Australians, and has a different colour scheme to reflect that.”
Sylvia Earle also has a two-level lounge, like Ocean Odyssey and Ocean Explorer. This makes it different to SunStone Ships’ Greg Mortimer, which has also been chartered by Aurora. But in contrast to Ocean Odyssey, its forward lounge is more like a scientific laboratory. “It has workstations, microscopes and computers where passengers can study,” says Mr Lund.
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