Captain Arctic Nears Float-Out as Construction Passes 75%
The seventy-meter vessel is designed around five rigid aluminum sails covered with twenty thousand square feet of solar panels for year-round Arctic cruising.
Construction of Captain Arctic, the first vessel for France-based Selar Expeditions, has passed the 75 percent completion point at Chantier Naval de l’Océan Indien in Port Louis, Mauritius. Founder and CEO Sophie Galvagnon said the 36-passenger sailing expedition ship is moving toward float-out.
The roughly 2,200 GT newbuild is the launch vessel for Selar’s wind-and-solar polar expedition cruise concept. The 70-meter ship is designed for year-round Arctic expedition cruising, while Selar has previously outlined a broader plan for as many as ten newbuilds over the next decade.
Construction work turns to outfitting
“Captain Arctic has officially entered the last quarter of its construction,” Galvagnon wrote. She said the vessel has moved from plans and design work to a ship she can now walk aboard at the yard, including its bridge and hull.
The hull now has its final colors. The bridge is fully equipped, Galvagnon said. The build is taking place at CNOI’s Port Louis facility, a ship repair, conversion and newbuilding yard whose infrastructure includes a 130-meter dry dock.
Captain Arctic’s principal dimensions include a length of about 70 meters, a 14-meter beam and a 3.5-meter draft. The construction update described the vessel as carrying 36 passengers.
Solar sails anchor Selar’s fleet plan
Selar designed the vessel around five rigid aluminum sails covered with 20,000 square feet of solar panels. The company says Captain Arctic will be powered mainly by wind and solar energy, producing close to zero emissions in operation.
Galvagnon has previously said Selar intends to develop polar-bound expedition ships for operations in both the Arctic and Antarctica. Captain Arctic is expected to be the first ship in that series.
No precise float-out date was included in Galvagnon’s update. The remaining yard work includes interior finishing, propeller installation and the fitting of the solar sails, with additional crew expected at CNOI to prepare the ship for Selar’s first expeditions.
