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Construction of the Captain Arctic, which will become the first ship of startup Selar Expeditions, is progressing at the Chantier Naval de l'Ocean Indien (CNOI) in Port Louis, Mauritius.
According to an update shared by the company's CEO and Founder Sophie Galvagnon, the building process recently surpassed the 75 percent completion mark.
"Captain Arctic has officially entered the last quarter of its construction," she stated in a social media post.
"For years, it only existed in drawings, spreadsheets and crazy conversations. Today, I can walk on its bridge, touch its hull and already imagine the first miles we'll sail together," Galvagnon continued.
Designed for year-round expedition cruising in the Arctic, the sailing ship is expected to be floated out soon, she added.
"The hull now sports its final colors, and the solar sails are almost ready to be installed, while the bridge is fully equipped, waiting to come alive," Galvagnon said.
Work is currently focusing on finishing the interiors of the 36-passenger vessel before installing propellers, she continued.
"Soon the yard will welcome even more crew to prepare her for our very first expeditions," Galvagnon noted.
As previously reported by Cruise Industry News, Selar claims to be the world's first sustainable shipping company.
The France-based company designed the Captain Arctic to operate as a close-to-zero-emissions ship, which will be mainly powered by the wind and the sun.
To achieve that, the 2,200-ton vessel will use five of what the company calls "solar sails," rigid aluminum sails covered by 20,000 square feet of solar panels.
The 70-meter-long vessel is expected to be the first in a series of up to ten newbuilds planned by the company for the next ten years.
In a past interview with Cruise Industry News, Galvagnon said that Selar intended to launch a series of polar-bound expedition ships for operations in both the Arctic and Antarctica.
