Orion Expedition Cruises
Encyclopedia
Orion Expedition Cruises is an Australian-based luxury expedition cruise line that was formed in 2004. It currently operates a single vessel, the German-built 103 m, 4000 gross tonne MV Orion
.
, Tahiti
in French Polynesia
to Sydney
, Australia
via the Cook Islands
, Samoa
, New Caledonia
, Fiji
and Lord Howe Island
. Since then OEC has been operating Australian-based expedition-style cruises in areas as diverse as the Antarctic
continent to Papua New Guinea
and the Solomon Islands
.
Orion Expedition Cruises have announced a second vessel, Orion II. Currently operating as Clellia II, Orion II is very similar to Orion with 100 guests catered for by 68 crew. Orion II will be based in South-East Asia visiting Borneo, The Russian Far East & Inland Sea of Japan.
The company’s mottos of “a path less traveled” and “it’s in our nature to explore” are apt descriptions of the nature of operations of OEC. The concept behind the formation of the operation was to bring Australian based luxury expedition style cruising to a level never seen before in that country. There had never been an expedition vessel as luxurious and as sophisticated as the MV Orion permanently based in Australia before.
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 tiny nation descended into politically inspired chaos just a few weeks before the Orion was due to dock in Dili in June 2006. The Indonesia
n port of Kupang
in West Timor
has replaced Dili in OEC’s itinerary until the situation in East Timor stabilises enough to resume cruises there.
Current operations see the company offering expedition cruises to Antarctica from the Australian island of Tasmania and the New Zealand port of Bluff, in the rugged 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 focussing on the Great Barrier Reef
and some cruising around Tasmania
.
2009 saw the announcement of itineraries moving further away from the Australian mainland for the first time, including destinations such as Vietnam
, Thailand
and Cambodia
.
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.
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.
MV Orion
The MV Orion is currently based in Australia and operated by Orion Expedition Cruises . The ship has been described by the Berlitz Guide to Cruising as "the latest in the quest to build the perfect expedition vessel".-History:Built by Cassens shipyard in Germany for the Marshall Islands registered...
.
History
Founded by Australian business woman Sarina Bratton in early 2004, Orion Expedition Cruises (OEC) began actual cruising operations in March 2005 with the repositioning cruise of the MV Orion from PapeetePapeete
-Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront esplanade*Bougainville Park -Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront...
, Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
in French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
via the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
, Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
and Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, and about from Norfolk Island. The island is about 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of...
. Since then OEC has been operating Australian-based expedition-style cruises in areas as diverse as the Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
continent to Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
and the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
.
Orion Expedition Cruises have announced a second vessel, Orion II. Currently operating as Clellia II, Orion II is very similar to Orion with 100 guests catered for by 68 crew. Orion II will be based in South-East Asia visiting Borneo, The Russian Far East & Inland Sea of Japan.
Operations
In 2005 OEC made history by being the first cruise line to take a ship into the newly independent nation of East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. Visiting the capital Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....
and the nation’s second largest center Baucau
Baucau
Baucau is the second-largest city in East Timor, after Dili, the capital, which lies 122 km east of Dili.Baucau has about 16,000 inhabitants, and is the capital of Baucau, located in the eastern part of the country...
, 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 tiny nation descended into politically inspired chaos just a few weeks before the Orion was due to dock in Dili in June 2006. The Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n port of Kupang
Kupang
Not to be confused with Tanjung Kupang in JohoreKupang is the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara province in southeast Indonesia....
in West Timor
West Timor
West Timor is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, .During the colonial period it was known as "Dutch Timor" and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution...
has replaced Dili in OEC’s itinerary until the situation in East Timor stabilises enough to resume cruises there.
Current operations see the company offering expedition cruises to Antarctica from the Australian island of Tasmania and the New Zealand port of Bluff, in the rugged Kimberley region of Western Australia
Kimberley region of Western Australia
The Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.The region...
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 focussing on the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
and some cruising around Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
.
2009 saw the announcement of itineraries moving further away from the Australian mainland for the first time, including destinations such as Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
MV Orion
Papeete
-Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront esplanade*Bougainville Park -Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront...
in March 2005.
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-EmdenEmdenEmden is a city and seaport in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia; in 2006, the city had a total population of 51,692.-History:...
, 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
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
, founder and Managing Director of Norwegian Capricorn Line
Norwegian Capricorn Line
The Norwegian Capricorn Line was a cruise line and was founded by some of Australia's foremost cruise professionals, in partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line...
and held both Australian Federal and State Government Board appointments including an appointment to the board of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Australian Maritime Safety Authority is responsible, on behalf of the Commonwealth Government of Australia, for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's shipping fleet and management of Australia's international maritime obligations...
(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.