The Star Seeker, a 200-passenger vessel, will be the final ship in Mystic Cruises’ 126-metre, 10,000-ton series, set for delivery to Windstar Cruises in November 2025. Built at West Sea shipyard in Viana do Castelo, it joins sister ships World Explorer, World Voyager, World Traveller, and World Navigator.
Originally ordered for Atlas Ocean Voyagers, the Star Seeker was acquired by Windstar alongside the World Explorer. Mystic plans a new series of 20,000-ton ships in Asia, as Portugal’s shipyards lack capacity for larger vessels.
The series supports itineraries in Europe and remote expedition routes for operators like Quark Expeditions.:
Mário Ferreira shared: “The Star Seeker is the last ship of this type that we will make here in Viana do Castelo. It is the fifth; we already have another four sister ships sailing. I have shown many pictures of their construction over the years, and this is an interesting way to say goodbye to this class of vessels, as we won’t build any others.”
“Unfortunately, there is currently no shipyard in Portugal with the necessary capacity. The shipyards in Viana are full of work and are hardly able to meet the existing orders. In Europe, everything is full for the coming years, and the alternative is to find shipyards in Asia, with the support of Portuguese, German, French and Italian companies.”
