Explora Journeys has confirmed plans to expand into river cruising, two months after reports first emerged that MSC Group was considering entering the European river cruise market through its luxury brand.
The company announced on 24th September 2026 that it had signed a Letter of Intent with Dutch shipbuilder Den Breejen Shipyard for the construction of its first luxury river ships.
The agreement marks the clearest step yet towards Explora Journeys moving beyond ocean cruising, although significant details about the new operation have not yet been disclosed.
Explora Journeys has not revealed how many river ships it intends to build, when the first vessel will enter service or which European waterways will feature in its initial programme. The company has, however, confirmed that sales are planned to open in 2027.
The announcement follows reports in July that MSC Group was evaluating a potential move into European river cruising through Explora Journeys. At the time, there had been no official confirmation from the company and no shipbuilding agreement had been announced.
That position has now changed substantially, with the Letter of Intent confirming that Explora Journeys is actively pursuing the development of a river fleet.
New Ships Planned With Dutch Shipbuilder
Explora Journeys has selected Den Breejen Shipyard for the proposed new vessels. The Dutch shipbuilder, based in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, has previous experience constructing river cruise ships for operators including Scenic, Emerald and Avalon Waterways.
The company has not yet released specifications for the Explora vessels, leaving their size, passenger capacity, accommodation and onboard facilities unknown.
There is also no confirmed delivery timetable. Explora Journeys said further information covering ship design, onboard experiences, delivery schedules and the first itineraries would be announced at a later date.
The line has indicated that the ships will operate on some of Europe’s best-known rivers, but has not named individual waterways or destinations.
Explora Journeys intends to bring elements of the luxury positioning it has established at sea to its river operation. The Geneva-based company is part of the privately owned MSC Group and began ocean operations in 2023.
Its ocean fleet has expanded to three ships following the arrival of EXPLORA III in 2026. EXPLORA I and EXPLORA II entered service in 2023 and 2024 respectively, while three further ocean ships are due to expand the fleet through 2028.
EXPLORA IV is scheduled to follow in early 2027, with EXPLORA V and EXPLORA VI subsequently joining the fleet.
The river project will therefore develop alongside a continuing expansion of the company’s ocean operation rather than replacing or slowing its existing fleet plans.
More Ocean Cruise Brands Move Onto Europe’s Rivers
Explora Journeys’ announcement comes during a period of growing interest in river cruising from companies traditionally associated with large ocean ships.
Celebrity Cruises is preparing to launch Celebrity River Cruises in August 2027, with the Danube and Rhine among its initial destinations. Celebrity’s river cruises for 2027 and 2028 are already on sale.
Celebrity has also substantially increased the scale of its plans since its river operation was first announced. The cruise line now says it has 20 river ships on order, with the first two scheduled for delivery in 2027 and the remainder expected to arrive by 2031.
Explora Journeys has not yet indicated whether its own plans will eventually reach a comparable scale.
The decision to sign a Letter of Intent nevertheless moves the project beyond the evaluation stage reported earlier in 2026 and establishes a shipbuilding partner for the proposed fleet.
For now, several of the most important details remain outstanding, including the number of ships covered by the plans and when passengers will first be able to sail aboard them.
More information is expected ahead of the planned opening of sales in 2027.
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