On March 7, Cruise & Maritime Voyages announced the acquisition of the Pacific Eden from P&O Australia and encouraged everyone involved with the company to suggest names.
Following the theme of “explorers” in their fleet, the options were: Pytheas, Vasco da Gama, Henry Hudson and Amerigo Vespucci.
CMV is pleased to announce that the Pacific Eden will be named Vasco da Gama in honor of the famous Portuguese explorer and navigator. When voting closed at 5:30 p.m. yesterday, Tuesday, March 20, Christian Verhounig, CEO and President, said, “We are grateful to all the Columbus Club members and business partners who took the time to vote. Of the thousands of votes received, the winner is Vasco da Gama, with 46% of the vote.”.
The new ship will be located and dedicated to both the German and Australian markets. During the Northern Hemisphere summer (May to October), the ship will operate under CMV's German brand, TransOcean Kreuzfahrten, with its homeports in Bremerhaven and Kiel. During the Southern Hemisphere summer (December to March), it will be based in Fremantle (Perth) and Adelaide, offering a traditional scenic cruise experience.
The Vasco da Gama's maiden voyage will depart from Singapore on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, on a spectacular 46-night adventure visiting Southeast Asia, India, Egypt, Jordan, and crossing the Suez Canal, Israel, and highlights of the Mediterranean before arriving in London Tilbury, Amsterdam, and Bremerhaven. Details of this inaugural itinerary will be revealed in May.
Vasco da
Gama was a Portuguese nobleman, navigator, and explorer, famous for being the first European to reach India by sea. After thousands of lives lost, dozens of ships sunk, and numerous attacks in his search for the route, da Gama reached Calicut on May 20, 1498. In doing so, he connected the Atlantic Ocean with the Indian Ocean and the Western world with the Eastern, paving the way for an era of global trade and European settlement in Asia. His route around the Cape of Good Hope was, at the time, the longest ocean voyage ever undertaken, a distance equivalent to the circumference of the Earth's equator, approximately 24,000 miles. He commanded three voyages and also served as the second Viceroy of Portuguese India.
