The inaugural voyage on the new Coral Adventurer is fully sold out more than a year in advance, and the ship is driving capacity up in the Kimberley region for Coral Expeditions, which in turn will open the map up for further deployments.
The Cairns-based expedition operator is poised to take delivery of its fourth ship next March, according to the 2018 Expedition Market Report by Cruise Industry News.
From there, the height of the season will see the company sail a trio of ships in the Kimberley, while its fourth ship will visit the Great Barrier Reef.
“It’s all going to plan, we are very happy with the build quality of the new vessel. We are able to oversee and work very collaboratively with VARD,” said Paul Chacko, executive director. “The reception has been very positive from our existing guests as well as new demographics (in terms of forward bookings).”
Wild Australia
The company’s fleet has been designed and optimized for the wild areas of Australia.
“Using the ships’ capabilities, we have pushed into regions ships don’t normally go to. We go deep into Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.”
With the additional capacity, the company is also bringing back some past itineraries that were essentially pulled due to the surging demand for the Kimberley.
“Itineraries we have operated on a one-off basis or occasionally we couldn’t repeat simply due to a lack of capacity,” Chacko said. “The new vessel will allow us to do that without sacrificing Kimberley capacity, which is the most popular product.”
As a result, the Coral Discoverer is set for a 16-night voyage later this year calling into New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, and ending in French New Caledonia where a charter flight will take guests back to Australia. The itinerary features a World War II flair, visiting a number of key sites in the Pacific theater.
That angle should play well in the American market, where Chacko is bullish about the sourcing potential.
Marine Team
Operating in the Kimberley for 24 years, the company has an experienced set of crew and officers that understand how to deliver the product.
“We have an expedition leader that has been with us for 18 years, and most of our crew has spent (considerable time) in the Kimberley. It translates into a product that is quite unique,” Chacko said.
The core Kimberley itinerary sails 11 days and over 1,000 nautical miles, and is open-jaw between Darwin and Broome.
Deck officers and crew will bring shipboard experience to the new Coral Adventurer, coming from across the fleet, while the company continues to hire and train for its additional tonnage.
Operations in Cairns are run under the guidance of Mark Fifield, general manager. It’s an operation with a strong marine-influenced culture dating back nearly three decades, Chacko said.
“It’s very much a marine and operational culture. It’s crucial for the future of the company to maintain that.”
With one ship under construction in Vietnam, the company is believed to have options set up to add additional tonnage, although Chacko would only say the line remains committed to future fleet expansion.
Excerpt from the 2018 Expedition Market Report.
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About the Expedition Market Report:
The 2018 Cruise Industry News Expedition Market Report presents a complete 127-page overview of the entire expedition market, including capacity projections through 2027, and profiles of 30+ major players, with exclusive interviews and insight, along with trends, original data, operational coverage and much more. Original reporting, analysis and research.
