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Seabourn takes delivery its second ultra-luxury expedition ship

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 31 July 2023 31 July 2023

Seabourn, the specialist in ultra-luxury voyages and expedition travel, took delivery of its second expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit, today during an official handover maritime ceremony at the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa, Italy. Seabourn Pursuit is the company’s second purpose-built, ultra-luxury expedition ship and the newest expedition ship in the industry.

"I am honored to share this incredible moment with the entire Seabourn family as we welcome Seabourn Pursuit, our highly anticipated second ultra-luxury expedition ship, into our fleet," expressed Natalya Leahy, Seabourn President. "With remarkable craftsmanship by the Mariotti team, an abundance of space, and the breathtaking style of Tihany Design, Seabourn Pursuit raises the bar for ultra-luxury expedition travel. We are grateful to Mariotti and Tihany Design for their expertise in shaping and making our dream come true for our guests.”

Leahy added that the state-of-the-art Seabourn Pursuit will provide the perfect combination of luxury and expedition. “Seabourn Pursuit offers the best of both worlds: our well-known signature luxury and elegance with the world of exploration and adventure. The ship is masterfully designed for our guests, who are extraordinary people looking for out of the ordinary experiences. Our guests will indulge in Seabourn’s ultra-luxury style and enjoy our intuitive, personalized service, while the ship takes them to awe-inspiring destinations around the world that only few will ever visit in a lifetime.”

“Today, one year after the delivery of Seabourn Venture, we are very happy to have completed and delivered her sister ship, Seabourn Pursuit,” said Marco Ghiglione, Managing Director of T. Mariotti. “We are truly proud to have built the most outstanding ultra-luxury expedition ship for Seabourn, one of the leading cruise lines in the luxury market. This is another important masterpiece for Italian shipbuilding coming out of T. Mariotti shipyard, demonstrating again that our leadership in this sector is well consolidated. Thanks to Seabourn, all people involved in this journey, Lloyd’s Register and the pencil of Adam Tihany, here is the new expedition jewel.”

Seabourn Pursuit offers the same luxurious “yacht like” small ship experience that travelers have come to expect from Seabourn, enhanced by world-class equipment that allows the line to offer its widest range of expedition activities led by an expert 24-person expedition team of scientists, scholars, naturalists, and more. Seabourn Pursuit is designed and built for remote, diverse environments to PC6 Polar Class standards and will include a plethora of modern hardware and technology that will extend the ship’s global deployment and capabilities. Seabourn Pursuit has close to 30,000 square feet of deck space and special touches at every turn. Those include indoor and outdoor guest areas with nearly 270-degree views, and a 4K GSS Cineflex Camera mounted on the mast of the Constellation Lounge capable of broadcasting imagery from miles ahead on monitors located throughout the ship and in guest suites.

In addition, Seabourn Pursuit, like the rest of the ships in the Seabourn fleet, offers an abundance of space and elegance, eight dining facilities serving gourmet cuisine, and luxurious all-suite accommodations, including a pair of two-level Wintergarden suites.

Seabourn Pursuit is scheduled to enter service August 12, 2023, and will sail five voyages in the Mediterranean before embarking on two voyages across the Atlantic and through the Caribbean. On October 10, 2023, the ship will arrive in Barbados to begin its expedition journeys, taking guests to remote corners of the globe. Seabourn Pursuit will head south for expeditions exploring coastal South America, the Amazon, and Antarctica into late March 2024.

Following its inaugural Antarctic season, the ship will head across the islands of the South Pacific and eventually to Australia, which will be the start of the line’s first exploration of the Kimberley region in the Northern Territory and Western Australia between June and August 2024. The iconic Kimberley, with its red sandstone gorges, rivers, waterfalls, wildlife, and Aboriginal life and history, is the ideal setting for a truly, world-class expedition experience. In addition to the Kimberley, Seabourn Pursuit will visit Papua New Guinea, West Papua, Indonesia, and sail across the South Pacific between Chile and Melanesia between March and October 2024.

Meyer Werft hands over Silver Nova

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 21 July 2023 21 July 2023

Meyer Werft handed over its newest cruise ship, the Silver Nova, to Silversea Cruises. Thanks to its innovative fuel concept, the Silver Nova is one of the most environmentally friendly cruise ships in the world.

Before the handover in Eemshaven, the Silver Nova proved its seaworthiness during technical and nautical sea trials and successfully completed extensive tests. The ship is 243 metres long, 30 metres wide and has room for 728 passengers.

"We are very pleased to once again deliver a ship that will set new standards on the way to climate-neutral cruising. With the propulsion system, a combination of LNG, fuel cell system and batteries, the ship has the best possible measures to reduce emissions," says Jan Meyer, Managing Director of Meyer Werft.

A fuel cell system will be used on board to supplement the LNG machines and will later be able to supply the entire hotel operation. Pollutant emissions during berthing times in port are thus completely avoided. In addition, a battery system increases the overall efficiency of the ship by absorbing peak loads, thus significantly reducing fuel consumption. A newly developed Micro Auto Gasification System (MAGS) converts waste on board into thermal energy, further increasing the vessel's efficiency.

Silver Nova represents the next iteration of Silversea’s unique take on luxury, with the largest choice of bars, restaurants, and lounges in ultra-luxury cruising; some of the most spacious guest suites at sea; and a range of innovative features – including an asymmetrical design and horizontal layout – that are unprecedented for the leading ul-tra-luxury cruise line. Silver Nova accommodates 728 guests in 364 spacious suites across 13 categories – the most suite categories in Silversea’s history – including a new generation of premium suites on the ship’s aft.

We will onboard the Silver Nova in early August.

Explora Journeys takes delivery of Explora I

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 20 July 2023 20 July 2023

Explora Journeys, the luxury lifestyle brand of the MSC Group, today officially took delivery of Explora I, the first luxury ship to join the brand`s fleet from the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. The investment of the new ship amounted to over €500 million, with a total investment plan of €2.5 billion for the four ships on order.

Explora I’s delivery ceremony marks a new chapter for the brand, one that offers today’s discerning luxury traveller the opportunity of a truly transformative and purposeful ocean travel experience like no other.

The traditional maritime event was attended by Gianluigi Aponte, Founder and Chairman of the MSC Group; Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Group's Cruise Division, the godmother of the ship Zoe Africa Vago, for Fincantieri Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer as well as representatives of MSC's construction team together with managers and workers from the shipyard.

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, Cruise Division, MSC Group, said, “Today is a historic day, and represents a decisive step in our growth path, because it marks the entry of the MSC Group into the luxury travel sector. This segment has strong growth prospects, in which we strongly believe and whose standards we aim to redefine, focusing as always on excellence and luxury.”

Michael Ungerer, CEO, Explora Journeys added, “This traditional maritime moment marks the most important milestone for Explora Journeys as we will finally be able to showcase our highly anticipated, extraordinary new ship. We have pushed the boundaries of innovation and design to create a ship that embodies our commitment to excellence. With the delivery of Explora I our vision to provide unparalleled luxury experiences has become an incredible reality. We invite our guests to embark on transformative journeys, offering an opportunity for inner and outer discovery inspired by the ocean, resulting in physical, intellectual and spiritual rejuvenation. We call this the ‘Ocean State of Mind’.”

Explora I will set sail on her maiden journey from Copenhagen, Denmark on 1 August 2023. This remarkable seven-night sailing will take guests through the majestic landscapes of Lerwick, Shetland Islands and Kirkwall, Orkney before heading to Reykjavik, Iceland.

The luxury ship will spend several weeks in Northern Europe, offering a range of different itineraries, both on and off the beaten path, and will then cross the Atlantic Sea via Greenland to spend the autumn in North America, the winter in the Caribbean and spring on the US West Coast and Hawaii before returning to Europe in Summer 2024 for a collection of journeys in the Mediterranean Sea. During all sailings the ship will call lesser-travelled ports for guests to enjoy a more authentic experience,

With journeys from seven to 11 nights which are all combinable, a best-in-class guest experience will ensure relaxed mornings and exhilarating evenings. Non-conventional arrival and departure times combined with overnight stays in port will allow Explora Journeys to offer guests exclusive access to once in a lifetime experiences and a slower pace of travel.

Explora I will seamlessly blend elegant Swiss precision with modern European craftsmanship and has been thoughtfully designed in partnership with the world`s foremost superyacht and hospitality designers to stimulate the senses and encourage an ‘Ocean State of Mind’. The philosophy of the brand is informed by the family’s European roots, sense of style, and intuitive approach to design and luxury.

Explora II is currently being built at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Genoa Sestri Ponente, Italy and will come into service in August 2024. Explora III will become the first of two LNG-powered vessels to join the Explora Journeys’ fleet with the ship due to be delivered in 2026 and Explora IV in 2027.

All of the Explora Journeys vessels will be equipped with the latest environmental and marine technologies, including selective catalytic reduction technology, shore power plug-in connectivity, underwater noise management systems to help protect marine life, and a comprehensive range of onboard energy efficient equipment to optimise engine use to further reduce emissions.