Aqua Expeditions will increase its fleet size by 150p per cent and add new geographic locations over the next two years.

The news was announced in Singapore by Francesco Galli Zugaro, chief executive of the company he founded ten years ago with high-end luxury cruises on the Peruvian Amazon.

“I am thrilled that after a decade of changing the face of river cruising on both the Amazon and Mekong Rivers we will extend our footprint to coastal cruising in additional soft adventure destinations,” said Zugaro.

“It is a tribute to the confidence in our brand shown by our guests and travel agency partners that we are able to make this significant move.”

The expansion of Aqua Expeditions has been made possible by a $28 million capital injection by Bison Capital, emphasising the private equity company’s confidence in the vision of Zugaro who will remain Aqua Expeditions’ majority shareholder and fully in charge of the company’s destiny and growth.

The first details of new vessels and routings will be announced later this month.

“We succeeded in bringing an unprecedented improvement to experiencing both the Peruvian Amazon and the Mekong by introducing intimate and luxurious boats from which travellers take safari-like excursions led by expert guides to discover jungles, wildlife and local cultures,” Zugaro added.

Since its founding in 2008, Aqua Expeditions has earned a reputation for bringing five-star luxury to river cruising in remote areas, and the identical level of lavishness and adventure will be featured throughout the company’s expanded fleet and routings.

“We are equally excited about this partnership,” said Doug Trussler, partner at Bison Capital.

“We are impressed by the brand and the product Francesco has built and have a high degree of confidence in him and his team to deliver on the vision and goals of global expansion while maintaining dedication to quality and innovation.”