Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has held today the keel laying ceremony at its Marghera shipyard for Seabourn Encore, the first of two ultra-luxury cruise ships to be built for Seabourn, brand of Carnival Corporation.
The steel cutting that marked the construction start of the new ship was held in April. Seabourn Encore, due to join the Seabourn’s fleet at the end of 2016, will be built according to Seabourn’s standards and technical solutions and will continue the fleet modernization that began in 2009.
The all-suite ship will be approximately 41,700 gross tons, 210 metres long and 28 metres wide and will be able to reach a cruising speed of 18.6 knots. It will carry up to just 600 guests, based on double occupancy. Every suite will feature a private veranda.
“Safety will be one of this ship’s major strong points. It will be built using the very latest technologies, whose standards will exceed the requirements of the relevant legislation. Fuel consumption will be significantly reduced by optimizing the ship’s hydrodynamics, ” the shipbuilder said in a release.
A sister ship, Seabourn Ovation , will join the fleet in 2018, and, with the addition of the two new ships, Seabourn claims it would have the youngest ultra-luxury fleet in the industry.
Fincantieri has built 70 cruise ships since 1990 and other 14 ships are currently being designed or built in the group’s yards.