MV Orion
MV Orion in Kuri Bay, Kimberley (Western Australia)
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| History | |
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| Name: | MV Orion |
| Owner: |
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| Operator: |
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| Port of registry: | 2003 onwards: Nassau,  Bahamas
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| Builder: | Cassens-Werft, Emden, Germany |
| Yard number: | 30236 |
| Laid down: | 17 June 2002 |
| Maiden voyage: | November 2003 |
| Identification: |
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| Status: | Out of service for main engine repairs |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Germanischer Lloyd 100 A5 E3 expedition cruise ship |
| Tonnage: | 3,984 GT |
| Length: | 102.7 m (337 ft) |
| Beam: | 14.25 m (46.8 ft) |
| Draft: | 12.6 ft (3.8 m) |
| Decks: | 5 passenger decks |
| Ice class: | Germanischer Lloyd E3 |
| Installed power: | One MaK 8M25 diesel 2400 kW |
| Propulsion: | One propeller |
| Speed: | 15.5 kn (28.71 km/h) maximum speed |
| Boats & landing craft carried: |
4 Life/tender/rescue boats, 10 Zodiac HD MK5 inflatables |
| Complement: | 106 passengers |
| Crew: | 75 |
| Notes: |
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National Geographic Orion (previously known as MS Orion and MY Orion) is operated by New York City-based Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic.
Built by Cassens shipyard in Germany for the Marshall Islands registered company Explorer Maritime, with technical management by the Greek-based company Helios Shipping, the Orion was originally 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, including the Great Lakes and the Amazon River.
Orion Expedition Cruises (OEC), since absorbed by Lindblad, then entered a long-term agreement to lease the vessel, handing it over to OEC in the Tahitian port of Papeete in March 2005 for transfer to Australia. OEC quickly expanded and further developed the expedition cruise market in the region and gained international recognition.
In May 2008, OEC announced the purchase of the company by KSL Capital Partners, a Denver-based private equity company specialising in high end travel and leisure enterprises. OEC now plans to expand beyond its one-ship operation in the Oceania region through the building of new ships and/or other acquisitions.
On the evening of 20 January 2013, the ship rescued a round-the-world yachtsman, Alain Delord, from his liferaft located 487 nautical miles SSW of Hobart (S49.47.93 E144.20.47) in the Southern Ocean. He had abandoned his yacht after it lost its mast and its hull was damaged in rough weather. The ship, with 100 passengers and 80 crew on board, was on its way from Antarctica to the world heritage-listed Macquarie Island when it responded to the call for help. The captain of the Orion, Mike Taylor, undertook the 1500 km rescue in moderate to rough seas from Antarctica's Commonwealth Bay. In a race against time, the ship successfully tracked the sailor's emergency radio beacon and effected the rescue with just an hour of sunlight left.
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Wikipedia