New river cruise company Haimark Ltd has announced that it plans to debut a brand-new ship in 2015, dedicated to exploring India’s Ganges River.
Formed in 2012 by a team of former executives from river cruise line Pandaw River Expeditions, Haimark Ltd is hoping to raise the profile of the river in the arena of leisure cruising by building a 56-passenger vessel, set to be named the Ganges Explorer, which will sail the waterway through the state of West Bengal.
Tom Markwell, managing partner of sales and marketing at Haimark, explained the reasons behind the decision: “As momentum grew with our Mekong and Irrawaddy cruises, we realised we needed to continue to develop and add new and interesting river cruise destinations to our portfolio. Upon our first visit to the Ganges River, we quickly realized that there were all the elements that make for a wonderful and enriching river cruise experience.”
The Ganges Voyager will set sail on its first journey on January 3, 2015, with the eight-day ‘Splendors of Golden Bengal: Cruising the Lower Ganges’ itinerary, which will begin in Kolkata and travel upriver in the direction of West Bengal. There are a further 22 voyages planned for the year between January and March and September and December.
The four-deck vessel will have 23 cabins, two Heritage suites, two Viceroy Suites and one Maharaja suite on the second and third decks, and an spa, gym and observation area on the top sundeck.
The line is already looking to the future, as Markwell explained: “We’ve already begun discussions for the deployment of a second vessel with our builder and see the development of the Ganges to be as strong as the Mekong and Irrawaddy rivers have been for Haimark.”
By Simon Brotherton
Google