UNITED WATERWAYS: From White Label River to White Label Ocean – Small ship Cruising at its best
“Extend the cosy and destination-focused atmosphere onto the high seas” was the idea when Ocean Advice, a subsidiary of UNITED WATERWAYS, started designing the latest White Label Coastal Cruise and Expedition Cruise Ships. Two concepts that are now becoming reality with the framework agreement to build a total of eight additional vessels, with the first delivery in 2028.UNITED WATERWAYS, which already announced 10 new river vessels at the ITB in 2025, is continuing its expansion. “We found partners in the B2B space within six months to allocate and contract these vessels for their prestigious brands”, says Sascha Gill, CEO of UNITED WATERWAYS. The new building series on the rivers is entirely built by shipyards in Europe for clients in the US, Asia, and Europe. “These ships will be the first multi-fuel platform as of 2028, ready to comply with the 2050 goals of the European Union for the guests of our partners” says Gill.
“With the success of the many prestigious brands on the River, we see a natural transition for our clients to extend their offerings onto the ocean. So we create the White Label platform for it” says Mathias Kracht, Managing Director at Ocean Advice. The vessels will host up to 186 (Expedition) and up to 260 (Coastal) guests onboard and will offer the same comfort and cosiness as the small ship experience from the Rivers. We will be able to access the small ports along the coast that our destination-focused partner brands are well known for and that can neither be reached via the river nor by larger ocean vessels. Each ship will be dedicated to the White Label market (B2B). “With the incredible fast pace that our river cruise partners moved into the River Slots after the announcement, we believe that we can sign these ships for our partners within the next 12 months, noting that three of these eight slots have been already reserved, which shows the high demand for new and sustainable tonnage in this market segment” says Kracht.
Photo reference: Tillberg Design of Sweden AB
The framework agreement for eight slots (four Costal and four Expedition Cruise Ships) was signed last week, with the first ship to be delivered in 2029. Additionally to the framework agreement the fist expedition cruise newbuild contract was also signed, with delivery of the ship in 2028. All ships will be built at China Merchant Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Shipyard, which has several years of experience building Expedition ships for other known Expedition Brands. “The design and much of the technology will be imported from Europe and the US, and enhanced with China’s electrification knowledge”, says Kracht. This will provide us with a Hybrid ship that will comply with the stringent sustainability standards existing in or planned in the future for its intended cruising areas.
UNITED WATERWAYS is (and has been) managing Expedition and Cruise vessels over the years. Robert Straubhaar, the founder of the company, has a legacy of operating these vessels in the past through a joint venture, sold several years ago, which managed one of the biggest expedition fleets on the market. “The journey continues, but this time we do it sustainably, so the next generation can also still enjoy the beauty of the rivers and coasts” says Robert Straubhaar.
Global market leader in white label ship management from Switzerland
UNITED WATERWAYS is Europe’s largest provider of modular white label ship management services on all waters. Its brand portfolio includes KD Floating Venues, Oceandiva, WEIßE FLOTTE SACHSEN, Thames Luxury Charters, the STARLING FLEET shipping company, Feenstra Riviercruises and the River Advice Group’s service brands on European waterways. Ocean Advice is the counterpart for the management of passenger ships on the world’s oceans. Its roots date back to 2004, when the company started under the River Advice label. In 2019, the group was consolidated under the umbrella of UNITED WATERWAYS. The headquarter is in Basel, Switzerland.