Ultra-luxury operator Silversea Cruises has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for one 36,000-ton, 540-guest vessel from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri with delivery scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2009. The line has also signed an option for a sister ship with Fincantieri. With the boom in cruising continuing, particularly at the top end, airlines are gaining benefits as operators develop packages further and further from their traditional Caribbean, US west coast and Mediterranean markets.
"This is a very exciting time for our company as we are now poised to further develop our unique style of luxury travel with a new generation of ship design," said Silversea chairman, Manfredi Lefebvre. "Fincantieri is the ideal shipbuilder to craft our new luxury vessel that will carry on our tradition of being an innovator and trendsetter in ultra-luxury cruising."
Fincantieri's chief executive officer Giuseppe Bono stated: "The agreement with Silversea, the major player in the ultra-luxury segment, marks a further important step in our strategy to consolidate our position as a leading shipbuilder for the upscale cruise and mega-yacht markets."
The new-build order is the first one for Silversea since 1998 when contracts for Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper (pictured) were signed. The award-winning vessels entered into service in 2000 and 2001 respectively. With the new ship Silversea's overall fleet capacity grows from 1,356 berths to 1,896 berths, representing a 40% increase.