Silversea Cruises and Fincantieri signed a contract worth about 310 million euros, for the construction of a new ultra-luxury cruise ship, due to join the shipowner’s fleet in 2020, the company said in its press release.
The new unit, tentatively named “Silver Moon”, will be a sister ship of “Silver Muse”, delivered in April at the shipyard in Sestri Ponente (Genoa). At 40,700 gross tons and with a capacity to accommodate 596 passengers on board, she will maintain the small-ship intimacy and spacious all-suite accommodations which are hallmarks of the Silversea experience.
The new build will expand Silversea's fleet to 10 ships. Once operating, she will significantly raise the bar in the ultra-luxury segment with a wealth of enhancements to the on board experience, while satisfying the uncompromising requirements for comfort, service, and quality of the world's most discerning travelers.
Among the voluntary notations of the ship, the “Green star 3 Design” stands out. It is assigned to units that are designed, built and equipped in order to prevent air and water pollution. Furthermore, the “COMF-NOISE A PAX” and “COMF-NOISE B CREW” are assigned on the basis of the noise levels measured on the ship. Results have confirmed the extremely high level of comfort offered to passengers on board.
Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, Chairman of Silversea, commented: “Based on the high praise Silver Muse has earned with our guests, we are eager to build on our flagship's success and move forward with a sister ship, which will bring us closer to fulfilling my father's dream of a 12-ship fleet. We pride ourselves on delivering an outstanding luxury cruise experience, and are delighted to partner once again with expert luxury shipbuilder Fincantieri as we continue to grow and evolve our fleet”.
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, stated: “We have a trusted relationship with Silversea which was born many years ago and is renewed today thanks to this important order. We are very glad to build a new ship for this fleet, moreover based on a successful project like the one of "Silver Muse", of which we are particularly proud of". Bono concluded: "The ultra-luxury segment confirms to be among those embodying orders even after the peak of the past few years, and Fincantieri has again proved to be the undisputed shipbuilding group in this such prestigious market niche”.
Fincantieri has built 78 cruise ships from 1990 to today (55 since 2002), while other 31 are currently being designed or built in the Group’s yards.