Silversea Cruises, the Monaco based luxury and expedition market cruise shipping company, says it will operate the 128 passenger Silver Discoverer in the Pacific from March 2014, the company says on its website.

The vessel that was built in 1989 as Oceanic Grace for Japanese owners and which is of about 5,000 gross tons, will undergo a refit at an undisclosed shipyard before becoming the third expedition type vessel in the Silversea fleet.

“She's (Silver Discoverer) the perfect platform for viewing these untamed landscapes, with all ocean-view suites and plenty of deck space so that a breaching whale or a pod of dolphins is always within sight. Her shallow draft allows her to navigate closer to shore, and with a fleet of 12 Zodiacs and a glass-bottom boat, guests can land on isolated shores and explore wetlands and submerged ecosystems, up-close and in-depth,” the company said in a statement.

The ship will operate cruises in the waters of Australia, New Zealand, Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia plus East Asia and the Russian Far East, with Australia is key source market, the company says.