MV Coral Expeditions I

The 1988-built MV Coral Expeditions 1 (formerly “Coral Princess I”) is a catamaran deployed on the Great Barrier Reef (Coral Sea, Australia). Purpose-built in Australia with a shallow draft of just 2.5 m (8 ft), the vessel can access remote UNESCO-listed reef areas.

In 2025, following the end of her Coral Expeditions charter, the vessel (IMO 8804696) was renamed “HELPR 1” and reflagged to Vanuatu (MMSI 576139000). Prior to this, Coral Expeditions 1 was Australia-flagged (MMSI 503091000).

Until 2025, Coral Expeditions 1 was exclusively chartered to the Australia-based brand Coral Expeditions. Her itineraries featured coastal navigation around deserted islands and pristine reefs inaccessible to day-trippers and larger ships. The company’s Great Barrier Reef voyages operated between the Queensland homeports of Darwin and Cairns, offering an in-depth exploration of the marine park’s diverse ecosystems.

Coral Expeditions (formerly Coral Princess Cruises / fleet) was founded in 1984 by Captain Tony Briggs. The company’s first vessel was an ex–World War II Fairmile-class submarine chaser converted to accommodate 24 passengers on short overnight Great Barrier Reef trips from Cairns. All Coral Expeditions ships are Australia-flagged, Australia-based and crewed by Australians, making the line one of the few truly Australian cruise operators. Its deployment covers New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Kimberley and Northern Australia, Tasmania and South Pacific destinations.

On December 15, 2014, Tony Briggs (Founder and Managing Director of Coral Princess Cruises Pty Ltd) announced that the Singapore-based Kallang Capital Holdings (part of PrimePartners Group Pte Ltd) had acquired a majority stake in the company.

In 2025, ownership changed again when Kallang Capital Holdings sold the vessel to Respond Global, a Noosaville QLD-based organization specializing in health crisis and disaster-management preparedness and response solutions.

Shipboard facilities

Coral Expeditions 1 has 4 decks and 25 staterooms. The ship carries its own small exploration tender (“The Explorer”) for beach and wharf landings in remote areas. Itineraries are highly flexible, allowing the Captain to adjust course when weather or sea conditions make alternative destinations more suitable. Like the rest of the fleet, Coral Expeditions 1 maintains an open-bridge policy, permitting passengers to visit the Deck A navigation bridge to observe operations and interact with the Captain and crew.

Coral Expeditions voyages are best suited to active travelers who enjoy expedition-style touring. There is no age requirement for shore excursions, which typically occur twice daily. Guest lecturers—such as geologists, national park rangers and marine biologists—accompany each voyage to provide expert insights. Life onboard MV Coral Expeditions I is destination-focused, with limited organized activities beyond video presentations and port talks in the lounge. Most of the experience takes place ashore or in the water. Nightlife is minimal; evenings are relaxed and usually spent enjoying drinks at the bar and socializing over dinner.