Launch of the Ship “Spirit of Discovery” in Cartagena

Cartagena has been the first Spanish port where the newly launched ship of the European tourism industry “Spirit of Discovery” has docked. After a maiden voyage through the Norwegian fjords, it arrived yesterday, August 8, coming from Gibraltar and set sail for Sete with a full house. A portion of the thousand tourists took excursions around the region while many others enjoyed the historic center and downtown of the departmental city.

Built at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, it was launched last May commissioned by Saga Ocean Cruises. Its clientele is predominantly British, where the aforementioned cruise line has a significant market niche achieved through successful management of second-hand ships it has operated until now.

This is a medium-sized ship with a capacity for 999 passengers in 554 cabins and 530 crew members. Weighing 58,259 gross tons, it measures 236 m in length and 31 m in width and has involved an investment of 350 million dollars. It features diesel-electric propulsion and can maintain a maximum speed of 23 knots. It will be launched next summer and is the first of two similar ships.

The new ship "Spirit of Discovery" is making its debut

Saga Cruises has launched its new ship in the port of Cartagena

Photos: José Julián Pérez Matéu