MIAMI — Crystal celebrated a major milestone in Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises’ expansion, with the steel cutting of Crystal Endeavor in Stralsund, Germany.

At the official ceremony at MV WERFTEN Shipyard on Jan. 15, Crystal president and CEO tom Wolber was joined by Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman and CEO of Crystal’s parent company, Genting Hong Kong (GHK); Colin Au, group president of GHK; Jarmo Laakso, CEO of MV WERFTEN; and local dignitaries Harry Glawe, Economics Minister of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Dr. Alexander Badrow, Lord Mayor of Stralsund.

“Today is a special day in the development of Crystal Endeavor, which will introduce the next level of exploration for the Crystal brand,” Wolber said. “We are pleased to collaborate again with the experts at MV WERFTEN as we work toward a vision for Crystal Endeavor that truly embodies the spirit of discovery of Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises.”

Set to debut in 2020, Crystal Endeavor will be the largest purpose-built Polar Class ship featuring Crystal’s all-suite butler-serviced accommodations and celebrated service.

“We look forward to this innovative expedition yacht with great anticipation in the Stralsund shipyard,” said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay. “A highlight is our investment of over 20 million euros in new equipment so that the Stralsund shipyard will be able to continue to build cruise ships efficiently in the future.”

Crystal is on track for major expansion over the next five years, with the addition of Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel river ships in addition to Crystal Endeavor.