Saga Cruises marked the keel laying of its second new cruise ship for the British market, Spirit of Adventure, with a ceremony at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

The 999-passenger ship will set sail in summer 2020 and the keel laying marked the official start of construction.

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A commemorative coin stamped with Spirit of Adventure’s name, keel-laying date and the lettering S715 – denoting the identification marker for the ship during her build and until she is formally handed over by Meyer Werft to Saga in summer 2020 – was placed under the first block in the dry dock.

A total of 54 blocks will be used to create the 58,250-gross ton ship. Like her sister ship Spirit of Discovery, Spirit of Adventure will have an overall length of 236m  with a 31m beam.

A rendering of a standard balcony cabin aboard Spirit of Adventure

“These are exciting times for Saga and the occasion marks a key stage in the construction of our second new build cruise ship,” said Robin Shaw, CEO Saga Travel, the parent company of Saga Cruises.

“Our decision to build two new boutique cruise ships, Spirit of Discovery and Spirit of Adventure for our guests heralds a new era in the history of Saga cruising,” he added.

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“Both ships have been designed to epitomise Saga’s British boutique cruising concept and they are the first small, luxury ships to be built by a British company, for the British market, in more than four decades.”

He added: “Each of our new ships has been exclusively designed for the British market and we have incorporated luxury interiors to meet our past and present guests’ feedback.

“We are proud to be working with Meyer Werft again, and it will be an honour and a pleasure, to celebrate the delivery of this ship in summer 2020.”

Saga Cruises first newbuild cruise ship Spirit of Discovery, was floated out of her shipyard ahead of final fit out and delivery earlier this year.

The development marks a major milestone for the British brand that pioneered cruising for over-50s guests several decades ago, and has chartered several ships over the years.