French river cruise operator CroisiEurope has launched its first vessel on the Loire River, featuring a new paddlewheel design which enables it to sail in the waterway’s shallow waters.
As well as the paddlewheel, the 96-passenger Loire Princesse also has a conventional propulsion system, with CroisiEurope’s Lucas Schmitter describing her as a “landmark in shipbuilding”.
The ship will operate six and eight day round-trip voyages from Nantes, and is the first vessel with overnight accommodation to be deployed on the Loire which frequently experiences periods of low water levels.
CroisiEurope has a second vessel of a similar design currently under construction in Saint-Nazaire – the 80-passenger Elbe Princess, which will debut next year offering itineraries on the Elbe and Moldau rivers between Berlin and Prague.
The addition of the Loire Princesse means CroisiEurope now has 43 ships in its fleet.
A further four ships are also in the pipeline for CroisiEurope, to debut in the 2016/17 season, including the 60-passenger RV Princesse Apsara which will join the line’s four other vessels sailing on the Mekong River.
