Silver Cloud to Be Converted into an Ice-Class Ship

Monaco-based cruise liner Silversea Cruises has revealed plans to move its cruise ship Silver Cloud to its luxury expedition fleet in November 2017.

Destined mostly for polar waters, the 296-guest ship will be converted into an ice-class ship during an extensive refurbishment scheduled to start in August 2017, the company said.

As an expedition ship, the all-suite Silver Cloud will accommodate 260 guests and also sail on itineraries to non-polar regions. When sailing Arctic and Antarctic itineraries, the guest complement will be restricted to 200.

“Silver Explorer’s polar expedition cruises have proven hugely popular with our guests,” said Enzo Visone, Silversea’s CEO.

“By converting Silver Cloud into an ice-class ship for our expedition fleet, we will be better positioned to meet the increasing demand for comfortable adventure travel, particularly to the Arctic and Antarctica, places that are best explored by small ships specially equipped with ice-strengthened hulls.”

The luxury expedition line currently has three all-suite expedition ships, Silver Explorer, Silver Discoverer, and Silver Galapagos. Collectively, they explore over 500 far-flung destinations, from Africa, Australia’s Kimberley Coast, and the Russian Far East, to the Galápagos Islands, the British Isles, and the polar realms.

Silversea said that its 2017 schedule will be announced in the coming days.