Lindblad Expeditions is finalising a newbuilding order for its eighth cruiseship.
The New York owner is seeking 2019 delivery for the vessel, chief executive Sven-Olof Lindblad said in an earnings briefing.
It will follow the 100-berth National Geographic Venture, scheduled for delivery next June from US yard Nichols Bros.
Lindblad says the cruiseship will be a blue-water vessel. His company has selected a yard from a group of three finalists, although it is in no hurry to sign a contract, so it can get the right design. The company is prepared “to sacrifice a couple of months to make sure that the vessel is exactly how we want, because we see years and years of service obviously associated with this vessel”, he said. “And we want to make sure that we look to the long term, not just the short term.”
Greg Pendy, an analyst at Sidoti, says the company has the financial flexibility to grow, with $87.3m in projected cash by the close of 2018, even with the Nichols Bros newbuilding.
