Magellan Discoverer Sets Sail from Valdivia to Antarctica with Antarctica21
Cubierto por 2 fuentesPublicado
- Portal PortuarioMagellan Discoverer zarpará desde Valdivia para incorporarse a flota de expedición polar en Región de Magallanes
- ports news rusiaChilean shipbuilder ASENAV completes Americas’ first hybrid-electric polar cruise ship
- Portal PortuarioPrimer crucero híbrido-eléctrico de América zarpa desde Valdivia para ser entregado a su propietario
The Magellan Discoverer, the first hybrid-electric cruise ship built in the Americas, set sail from the facilities of Astilleros y Servicios Navales (Asenav) in Valdivia, Chile, bound for Bahía Corral, where it would carry out its final sea trials before its definitive departure for Punta Arenas, scheduled for October 30. From there the vessel will sail roughly 1,020 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean to join the polar expedition fleet of tour operator Antarctica21 in the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region.
Technical specifications
The vessel has a length overall of 94 meters, a beam of 17.2 meters and a height of 30.5 meters, and holds Polar Class 6 and IMO Tier III certification. Its hybrid-electric system combines diesel generation, electric propulsion and battery storage, with two 1,800 kW diesel engines and an open-water speed of 14 knots, cutting fuel consumption by around 25% and emissions by up to 30%, while also reducing underwater noise. It has capacity for 96 passengers on all-sea voyages or 88 on combined fly-cruise itineraries, plus 67 crew members, an endurance of up to 60 days without refueling, and a reinforced bow capable of breaking ice up to 80 centimeters thick.
Construction and delivery
Construction took around 33 months and involved more than 500 people, including staff, contractors and suppliers, with an estimated investment of 90 million dollars, according to Fernando Rodríguez, general manager of Asenav. Germán Schacht Kossmann, the shipyard's Business Development and Marketing manager, said after the departure that formal delivery to Antarctica21 would take place by the end of that same week.
Continuity of the partnership
The project reinforces the partnership between Asenav and Antarctica21 that began with the Magellan Explorer, the first polar expedition cruise ship built by the Valdivia shipyard, which has been operating in the White Continent since 2019. As reported by Ports News, the Magellan Discoverer completed a five-day sea trials program off Valdivia and is scheduled to begin its first passenger voyage on December 15, 2026, from Punta Arenas, on a ten-day expedition through southern Patagonia and the Beagle Channel before crossing the Drake Passage to Antarctica.
