Aqua Expeditions' newest ship, the Aqua Nera, has been completed in Vietnam and will begin the long journey to its homeport on the Peruvian Amazon next week, the company said Friday.
Aqua Expeditions said the vessel was ceremonially launched with a solemn Buddhist blessing on July 29.
On Monday, it is set to be hoisted aboard a specially configured ocean freighter for the 35-day, 9,250-mile voyage to the Brazilian port of Belem, at the mouth of the Amazon.
The Aqua Nera's crew will take possession of the ship there, and then navigate the entire length of the Amazon -- a 15-day, 1,500-mile upriver journey to the boat's home port of Iquitos, Peru.
The Aqua Nera is expected to make its maiden voyage in late 2020, operating in tandem with the company's Aria Amazon, the company said.