Scenic has announced the appointment of James Griffiths as the captain of Scenic Eclipse.

Branded by the cruise line as the world’s first discovery yacht, the vessel is expected to launch in August.

“Scenic Eclipse is setting an entirely new standard in the cruise and expedition industry,” stated Griffiths, “and she is the first cruise ship to truly combine ‘go anywhere/see everything’ ability.”

Captain Griffiths comes to Scenic with an extensive background in expedition cruising, having served as expedition captain with Windstar and captain of Lindblad’s National Geographic Explorer, as well as spending 11 years with Cunard Lines.

He was appointed chief officer aged 25, on board the RMS Queen Mary 2.

In a career that has spanned nearly 20 years, Griffiths has worked on 12 different ships, commanding six of them, and visited more than 105 countries.

Griffiths was educated in the UK and holds multiple degrees and designations from the Warsash Maritime Academy in Southampton, Middlesex University and the Nautical Institute in London, and Lloyds Maritime Academy in Kent.

Asked what he believes will be a voyage highlight for the guests and the crew, Griffiths pointed out the array of possibilities.

“I am genuinely excited to see how guests will react to Scenic Eclipse.

“She is designed to exceed expectations.

“Everyone will take away something different; perhaps a journey to a shipwreck in our submarine, a flight over a glacier with one of our highly trained pilots in a helicopter, maybe watching the sunrise on the bridge with one of our deck officers, or memories of the excellent dining venues.

“For my crew, I have been delighted how quick the very best people in the industry have been to join me on board Scenic Eclipse.

“Scenic is not your average multi-national faceless company, it really does feel like a family, so serving our guests on board a ship like Scenic Eclipse will be a career highlight for many.”