Australis Unveils Name of New Cruise Ship

Australis (Stella Australis) Patagonian cruise line Australis has revealed the name of its new expedition cruise ship, Ventus Australis, currently under construction at Asenav shipyard in southern Chile.  The 210-passenger Ventus Australis will be launched in late 2017, the company said. Made for cruising on the southern tip of South America, the Ventus Australis will replace the smaller, 136-passenger Via Australis, which was built in 2005 and sold recently to Lindblad Expeditions, according to Australis. The Ventus Australis will be a twin sister to the 210-passenger Stella Australis, launched in 2010. The new ship will offer cruises from Ushuaia in Argentina to Punta Arenas in Chile or return. Australis offers expedition voyages to Cape Horn and the glaciers and fjords of Tierra del Fuego.