All Aboard! Discovery’s Original Canadian In-House Production MIGHTY SHIPS Shoves Off for Ninth Season, May 1

TORONTO (April 7, 2016) – Discovery’s original Canadian series MIGHTY SHIPS returns for a dramatic ninth season, airing Sundays at 7 p.m. ET beginning May 1. Produced by Discovery’s in-house production unit, Exploration Production Inc. (EPI), and seen in more than 150 countries around the world, the long-running Canadian series sets sail on a new high-stakes voyage, taking viewers on the journey and below the surface to explore places and technologies that are usually off-limits to land lovers. From the largest hospital ship on the planet to a longline fishing vessel to an expedition cruise ship, the six-episode season gives unprecedented see-all, hear-all access to everything above and below deck, following the captains, engineers, and able seamen into the heart of the most sophisticated ships ever built. Discovery also announced today that MIGHTY SHIPS’ sister series, MIGHTY CRUISE SHIPS, has embarked on the production of its second season, taking viewers to exotic ports in the Mediterranean, old world cities like Rome, Athens, Istanbul, and Barcelona;  cruising the rugged coastlines of Norway and Scotland; and visiting the Caribbean. Featuring the largest cruise ships at sea, MIGHTY CRUISE SHIPS will debut in Spring 2017. Episode highlights from MIGHTY SHIPS – Season 9 include: “North Sea Giant” Sunday, May 1 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT With a specialized crane system and five propellers to counter heavy seas, North Sea Giant can perform powerful and precise lifts in seas as high as 4.5 metres – four times the capability of other such vessels. On this voyage, she’s out to lift and install the final massive module of the world’s first subsea gas compression station nearly 300 metres underwater. But when strong winds and currents threaten the delicate operation, her team of underwater robots must come to the rescue before the module crashes the entire project! “Tonsberg” Sunday, May 8 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT Tonsberg carries anything that can be rolled up her ramp: not just automobiles and bulldozers, but also heavy, awkward-sized cargo such as cranes, subway trains, or yachts. In some of the busiest ro-ro ports in Europe, Tonsberg’s crew rushes to overcome the obstacles that could delay her. Sailing across the Atlantic, two storms threaten to cross her path as the crew keeps a sharp eye on the lashings that hold the cargo in place. “USNS Comfort” Sunday, May 15 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT Almost three football fields long, the USNS Comfort is second in size only to U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. She is the largest hospital ship on the planet, with up to 1,200 crew, 12 operating rooms, 1,000 beds, and an impressive array of medical equipment. MIGHTY SHIPS joins the USNS Comfort midway through “Operation Continuing Promise” – a six-month mission to provide humanitarian aid to 11 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. Sailing to the tiny Caribbean island of Dominica, Comfort’s crew sets out to aid 10,000 patients in just nine days.

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