Silversea takes delivery of new luxury cruise ship Silver Dawn

Silversea Cruises has taken delivery of its new cruise ship Silver Dawn from the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, marking the tenth ship to join its fleet.

Silver Dawn may be the tenth ship to join the Silversea fleet, but she is the third since 2020, marking the rapid overhaul of the luxury cruise line’s fleet since its purchase by Royal Caribbean.

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Executives from Silversea Cruises attended the intimate handover ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona, Italy, while Royal Caribbean executives joined in via video feed.

“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, President & CEO, Silversea Cruises.

“As well as the tireless efforts of the teams at Fincantieri and Silversea Cruises, I would like to recognize the great contribution of the Royal Caribbean Group,” he added. “I am grateful for the Group’s continued support, which has proven invaluable once again.”

Silversea Cruises was purchased by Royal Caribbean Cruises, the parent company of Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, giving the smaller, luxury cruise line access to the group’s immense credit resources.

Martinoli penned his signature to officially take delivery of Silver Dawn following a video screening of the official coin and flag ceremonies.

“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 program,” he added.

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“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,” said Martinoli.

Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group, and Jason Liberty, Executive Vice President and CFO, Royal Caribbean Group, each connected via video feed to deliver a speech.

While many cruise ship newbuilds have been delayed by a year or two for most cruise lines as they look to shore up cashflow and capital expenditures, and while shipyard’s deal with ongoing delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Fincantieri said it remains on track.

“In spite of the pandemic, we have been able to keep all deliveries in line with the contractual dates,” saidLuigi Matarazzo, General Manager of Fincantieri’s Merchant Ships Division. “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 been cooperating 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 added.

Silversea, like other brands within the Royal Caribbean Cruises group, has kept its 2021 deliveries scheduled as planned, but Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have both pushed their deliveries for 2022 onwards back by one year.