Ironically, it was the first custom-built Antarctic cruise ship, and the first cruise ship to visit the Antarctic. It was also the first cruise ship to navigate the northwest passage without help of an icebreaker.
“Our ship was purpose-built for rugged and safe expedition voyages. At just under 250 feet, she has a particularly shallow draft and an ice rated double hull which enables her to forge into marine territories that elude other more cumbersome ships. Her go-anywhere size also makes her intimate”
http://www.smallgrouptours.net/MS_Explorer.html
can’t get much more “intimate” than a double hull.. I had heard early on that a fist-sized hole was punctured somehow..
Ironically, it was the first custom-built Antarctic cruise ship, and the first cruise ship to visit the Antarctic. It was also the first cruise ship to navigate the northwest passage without help of an icebreaker.