Pacific Eden, formerly Ryndam of sister company Holland America Line , has joined P&O Cruises Australia as the fourth ship of the Australia and New Zealand focused contemporary market company of the Carnival Corp & plc group.
“Heralded as a game changer for the Australian cruise industry, the 55,820-tonne Pacific Eden is berthed in Fremantle this week, with final touches being made to the ship’s striking features ahead of her inaugural 10-night cruise,” the Sydney based P&O Cruises Australia said on 16 November in a statement.
The ship is now on its way to Sydney, where it will arrive for a naming ceremony on 25 November. By that time, its sister ship, the former Statendam, now renamed Pacific Aria, will also be present and the two ships will be named at the same ceremony.
Pacific Eden was built in 1993 and Pacific Aria a year earlier. Both ships have undergone total transformation t the Sembawang shipyard in Singapore, whereby they now have a new identity and P&O Cruises Australia signature features on board.
A sixth vessel is due to join the fleet in 2017 when the 77,400 gross ton Dawn Princess of Princess cruises will become Pacific Explorer. Again, a major refit is being planned for the ship before its re-entry to service.
Pacific Eden is set to become a familiar figure in the west, with the boutique ship cruising from Fremantle for a season in 2016 and again in 2017. After sailing from Fremantle this Sunday Pacific Eden will return in April 2016 to offer her first season of 16 cruises, which will include short breaks to Margaret River and Esperance and longer itineraries to Indonesia.
The ship will be homeported in Fremantle again from April to June 2017, offering 10 cruises including a new nine-night itinerary featuring P&O Cruises’ first foray into scenic cruising along the Kimberley coastline.
P&O Cruises Senior Vice President Sture Myrmell said the addition of Pacific Eden and sister ship Pacific Aria had increased the cruise line’s fleet to five ships, enabling P&O to base a ship in Western Australia for longer periods of time.
“Western Australia is really coming into its own both as a cruise destination and a homeport, so we’re thrilled to have the capacity to be able to base one of our latest ships in Fremantle for the next two summers. Pacific Eden is sure to become a fast favourite among Western Australians as she offers an exciting line up of cruises from the state, giving local tourism a boost and bringing a wealth of economic opportunities to port towns up and down the coast,” Myrmell said.
