Orion Expedition Cruises

Orion Expedition Cruises is a former Australian-based luxury expedition cruise line that operated the German-built 103 m, 4000 gross tonne MV Orion in Australasian and Antarctic waters.

History

Founded by Australian businesswoman Sarina Bratton AM in early 2004, Orion Expedition Cruises (OEC) began actual cruising operations in March 2005 with the repositioning cruise of the MV Orion from Papeete, Tahiti in French Polynesia to Sydney, Australia via the Cook Islands, Samoa, New Caledonia, Fiji and Lord Howe Island. OEC operated Australian-based expedition cruises in areas as diverse as the Antarctic continent to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

On 20 May 2008 Sarina Bratton, Founder and then Managing Director of OEC announced the purchase of the company by US private equity firm KSL Capital Partners, and Cruise Ferry Master Fund (CFMF), a division of German shipping bank DVB.

On 5 March 2013 it was announced that OEC had been acquired by US-based small ship operator Lindblad Expeditions, which owns five ships and charters a further five and operates cruises to a variety of destinations. CFMF also holds a 60% interest in Lindblad Expeditions.

Operations

MV Orion anchored off Kitava in Papua New Guinea’s Trobriand Islands with a traditional Kula Canoe in the foreground.

The concept behind the formation of the operation was to bring a new flavour of locally based luxury expedition-style cruising to Australia.

In 2005 OEC made history by being the first cruise line to take a ship into the newly independent nation of East Timor. Visiting the capital Dili and the nation’s second largest center Baucau, guests of the Orion were some of the first tourists to be part of organized travel in the country. OEC planned to continue and expand their operations in East Timor in 2006, but the company’s plans were suspended when the fledgling nation became unstable just a few weeks before the Orion was due to dock in Dili in June 2006. The Indonesian port of Kupang in West Timor replaced Dili in OEC’s itinerary.

The company offered expedition cruises to Antarctica from the Australian island of Tasmania and the New Zealand port of Bluff, in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia from the port of Darwin, to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands from the ports of Cairns and Rabaul as well as occasional cruises along the east coast of Australia focusing on the Great Barrier Reef and some cruising around Tasmania.

Following OEC’s acquisition by Lindblad Expeditions in March 2013, it was announced that cruises to Orion's destination mainstays of Indonesia, Borneo, Papua New Guinea and the Kimberleys would continue. In March 2014 itineraries to more easterly and remote Pacific islands were added. Orion was to be equipped with an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV), capacity for up to 24 scuba divers and oceangoing kayaks, with cruises to be accompanied by a National Geographic photographer.

In a statement in January 2015,^[1] Lindblad surprised the industry by announcing that Orion would be based in Europe for the northern summer from 2016, ceasing Southern Hemisphere winter operations.

MV Orion

MV Orion in Kuri Bay on Western Australia's Kimberley Coast.

The luxury expedition ship MV Orion, the backbone of OEC, has been described by the Berlitz Guide to Cruising as “the latest in the quest to build the perfect expedition vessel”. Owned by the Marshall Islands registered company Explorer Maritime and leased under a long-term agreement by OEC, the vessel was previously operated, albeit for a short time, by US-based cruise operator Travel Dynamics International (TDI). TDI had operated the vessel in the Antarctic and the Arctic and many points in between before handing the vessel over to OEC in the Tahitian port of Papeete in March 2005.

The MV Orion will be renamed the National Geographic Orion from March 2014, and join Lindblad Expeditions owned National Geographic Endeavour, MS National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Islander, National Geographic Sea Bird and National Geographic Sea Lion, along with their chartered vessels Delfin II, Jahan, Lord of the Glens, Oceanic Discoverer and Sea Cloud.^[2]

Vessel specifications

Length: 103 metres
Beam: 14.25 metres
Draft: 3.82 metres
Hull: Ice-reinforced for voyages in the Arctic and Antarctic
Ice Class: E3 (Germanischer Lloyd)
Gross Tonnage: 4,000
Engines: Mak; 8M25; 3,265HP
Speed: 14.0 knots
Stabilisers: Blohm & Voss, retractable fin stabilisers
Manoeuvrability: Bow and stern thrusters
Year Built: 2003
Delivery Date: November 2003
Builder: Cassens Shipyard-Emden, Germany
Staterooms and Suites: 53
Guest Capacity: 106 (twin occupancy). 24 additional guests may be accommodated in convertible sofa or upper Pullman beds.
Elevator: Yes
Classification: Germanischer Lloyd; 100 A5 E3 Passenger Ship; MC E3 AUT
Regulations: Orion is built according to the latest international safety regulations, including those of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Public Health, Canadian Arctic Shipping, and St. Lawrence Seaway.
Additional Craft: 10 Zodiac Heavy Duty MK5 Inflatables, 10 Sea Kayaks, and a Fishing Boat
Communications: Direct-dial satellite telephones; fax; e-mail; Internet access; internal telephone system
Registry: Bahamas and manned and providored by V-Ships Leisure, of Monaco.

Company founder - Sarina Bratton

Founder of Orion Expedition Cruises, Sarina Bratton walks with local villagers in Watam Village, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.

Sarina Bratton had over 25 years experience in the travel industry before founding OEC and in that time held positions including Vice President and General Manager Asia Pacific for Cunard Line, founder and Managing Director of Norwegian Capricorn Line and held both Australian Federal and State Government Board appointments including an appointment to the board of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

In 2006 Sarina was the winner of the Veuve Cliquout Australian Business Woman of the Year Award for being the first female founder of a cruise line and in 2008 was the New South Wales state winner of the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Since Bratton's departure from OEC, she has been appointed Australasian chairman of French-flagged cruise line Compagnie du Ponant ^[3]

External links

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