Mystic Cruises, the parent company of Atlas Ocean Voyages/AOV and the German travel brand and Myustic's subsidiary Nicko Cruises/fleet, signed a shipbuilding agreement with China Merchants Shipbuilding Industry Corporation in early December at a signing ceremony in China.
The formalized contract is for one ocean-going cruise vessel with options for three additional units of the same design.
The documents were signed by Mario Ferreira (Mystic’s president) and Mei Zhonghua (Vice General Manager at China Merchants and general manager of its cruise ship division).
Specifications beyond the basic framework have not been disclosed publicly, though the vessel class has been confirmed as employing tri-fuel propulsion, indicating an arrangement to accommodate multiple fuel types to address evolving emissions standards. The contract does not yet identify which of Mystic’s operating brands will man the newbuilds, leaving open the possibility of future deployment under either the AOV or Nicko brands.
Mystic Group’s current ocean fleet comprises a series of small expedition cruise ships previously constructed at the West Sea yard in Portugal, a pattern the company has maintained until now; the most recent of that series is being delivered to Windstar Cruises.
The decision to place a newbuild contract with a Chinese shipbuilder reflects the company’s pursuit of additional construction capacity beyond its established European supply chain.
In parallel with the newbuild agreement, internal planning within the Mystic group has indicated an interest in evolving existing expedition designs, suggesting that the forthcoming series may incorporate lessons from the World Navigator, World Traveller and World Voyager class vessels.
Alongside this shift in construction strategy, Mystic and Atlas have recently introduced upgraded digital signage systems aboard their current ships, replacing static information screens with interactive touch displays designed to offer guests real-time voyage details and programme information.