Ocean Advice Orders Eight Newbuild Cruise Ships in China

Ocean Advice, a company under the United Waterways umbrella, has finalized an agreement to construct eight cruise vessels in China. The order includes four coastal ships and four expedition ships, with the first delivery scheduled for 2029 from the China Merchant Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Shipyard.

The company said the vessels are being designed for charter to major tour operators or lifestyle-oriented brands, and three of the eight have already been allocated.

The expedition ships will carry up to 186 guests, while the coastal ships will accommodate 260 passengers.

“Together with our Partners, we managed to secure eight slots at China Merchant Shipyard for the latest state of the art Expedition and Coastal Cruiser series,” said Mathias Kracht, managing director of Ocean Advice.

“The design and much of the technology will be imported from Europe and the US, and enhanced with China’s electrification knowledge,” he added. “This will provide us with a Hybrid ship that will comply with the stringent Sustainability standards existing in or planned in the future for its intended cruising areas.”

Sascha Gill, CEO of United Waterways, noted that the newbuilds will be capable of meeting the European Union’s 2050 environmental targets.

“With the success of the many prestigious brands on the River, we see a natural transition for our clients to extend their offerings onto the ocean. So we create the White Label platform for it,” Kracht added.

“We will be able to access the small ports along the coast that our destination-focused partner brands are well known for and that can neither be reached via the river nor by larger ocean vessels. Each ship will be dedicated to the White Label market (B2B),” he said.