Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson has revealed Virgin Voyages as the new identity for the company’s cruise line venture. Furthermore that Virgin Voyages has signed a shipbuilding contract for three vessels with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri each kitted with waste heat to power systems from Swedish cleantech developer Climeon.
At a recent revealing event held in the US at a Miami Beach hotel, Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson announced Virgin Voyages as the name for the company’s cruise line venture. It was also revealed that the company has ordered three vessels from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.
– Thousands of future sailors and travel professionals shared their thoughts with us and tasked us with delivering the most irresistible vacation at sea and that our name alone should leave them dizzy with anticipation. I’m excited to reveal we are now Virgin Voyages, and while we have lots of work ahead to build our three ships, we can’t wait to welcome you aboard the ship of things to come, said Sir Richard Branson during the event.
Waste heat to power
Each of the vessels will be equipped with waste heat to power systems developed by Climeon, a Swedish clean energy technology innovator. Virgin Voyages is the first major cruise line to install Climeon Ocean, a system that will transform low-grade heat from engine cooling and exhaust into electricity.
– The Climeon heat power system is an environmental breakthrough, and working with Virgin is of major importance to us. We are excited that Sir Richard Branson and Virgin, with their focus on sustainability, have decided to become a pioneer of this technology, said founder and CEO of Climeon, Thomas Öström.
Virgin Voyages’ first ship is estimated to arrive at Port of Miami in 2020, from where Virgin Voyages will offer a range of Caribbean itineraries to ports that deliver “unique and very social” experiences.
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