Ultra-luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises has taken delivery of the ’Silver Dawn’ at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard.
‘Silver Dawn’ is the third ship to join Silversea’s fleet since the start of 2020.
“In welcoming the beautiful ’Silver Dawn’ as the 10th ship in our fleet, we have reached a huge milestone on our mission to take our guests deep into the world in luxury,” said Roberto Martinoli, Silversea Cruises’ President & CEO. “As well as the tireless efforts of the teams at Fincantieri and Silversea Cruises, I would like to recognise the great contribution of the Royal Caribbean Group. I am grateful for the Group’s continued support, which has proven invaluable once again.
“Silver Dawn represents an evolution of luxury cruise travel; she builds on the innovations of her sister ships, ’Silver Moon’ and ’Silver Muse’, with Otium – our pioneering new wellness programme. With ’Silver Dawn’, we affirm our position as the leader in ultra-luxury cruising. I look forward to welcoming our guests aboard ’Silver Dawn’ from spring 2022,” he said.
Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager of Fincantieri’s Merchant Ships Division, added: “In spite of the pandemic, we have been able to keep all deliveries in line with the contractual dates. That’s why I am particularly pleased to celebrate the delivery of ’Silver Dawn’, just a few months after the successful delivery of her sister vessel, ’Silver Moon’.
“We have co-operated with Silversea for many years, realising a line of distinctive vessels, but we are already looking ahead to the new challenges we will have to face—ready for a new generation of cruise vessels,” he said.
The third ship in the ’Muse’-class series and the fourth ship to result from Silversea’s longstanding collaboration with Fincantieri, ’Silver Dawn’ is a sistership to ‘Silver Muse’ —built at the Fincantieri shipyard of Sestri Ponente (Genoa) in April, 2017—and ’Silver Moon’, which was delivered in Ancona in October, 2020.
‘Silver Dawn’ accommodates just 596 guests in 298 oceanview suites – 96% of which have a private veranda – and has a crew-to-guest ratio of 1:1.45.
In total, over 390 companies contributed to Silver Dawn’s construction. In the peak months, an average of 1,000 people were working simultaneously on the ship. Over 15,000 steel plates and profiles were cut for her construction, about 95,500 litres of paint were applied, and 18 contractors installed around 1,690,000 m of electric cable.
Building on the success of Silversea’s culinary programme, SALT, which was launched on board ’Silver Moon’, ’Silver Dawn’ introduces a new wellness programme, Otium. Taking a leaf out of the cruise line’s Italian heritage, Otium takes inspiration from the leisurely nature of the ancient Roman lifestyle.
In Roman culture, Otium was a period of time dedicated to leisure, in which people bathed, conversed, sung, theorised, drank, ate, and relaxed.
In addition, Silversea’s ’Silver Explorer’ launched the return of ultra-luxury expedition cruising to Antarctica.
On 10th November, ‘Silver Explorer’ sailed from her new departure base of Puerto Williams, Chile. She was followed by the ‘Silver Cloud’, which sailed from Punta Arenas, Chile, on 14th November.
“We are proud and excited to be at the forefront of the comeback of ultra-luxury expedition cruising in Antarctica,” said Martinoli. “Accompanied by our seasoned team of expedition experts, our guests will not only be in awe of the authentic beauty and unique wildlife of the White Continent, but they will also enjoy the signature distinctions that have made Silversea the leader in luxury expedition cruising.”
“We are making history. By embarking on a private, direct flight from Santiago to Puerto Williams, we are unlocking a flight path that has not been operated for more than 30 years – and never in such luxury – to deliver comfort and convenience to our guests,” added Conrad Combrink, Silversea Cruises’ Senior Vice President of Expeditions, Turnaround Operations and Destination Management.
“I am thrilled to launch our 2021-22 Antarctica season from the Chilean port of Puerto Williams – the southernmost town in the world – which is a first for Silversea. For their unwavering commitment to resuming expeditions to this unique part of the world, I would like to extend my gratitude to the respective authorities in Chile; the Mayor of Punta Arenas, Claudio Radonich; the Mayor of Puerto Williams, Patricio Fernández Alarcón; the Governor of Antarctica Chilena province, Nelson Cárcamo Barrera; Nicolas Pivcevic and the team at DAP Antarctic Airways; and my colleagues at Silversea Cruises.”
DAP Antarctic Airways is providing Silversea’s guests with private, round-trip flights between Santiago and Puerto Williams. DAP is also the carrier selected to provide the flight component of Antarctica Bridge®, Silversea’s new fly-cruise programme that provides the fastest, most direct route to Antarctica.
Meanwhile, Silversea’s third Ice Class ship, ’Silver Wind’, has left drydock at the Remontowa shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland. She will make her debut as an expedition ship in May, 2022 in the Mediterranean, before heading to Northern Europe and the Arctic for the summer season.
