Silversea Cruises, the luxury cruise line, has announced that they are looking for another vessel with an ice-strengthened hull to become their second exploration class ship.
The cruise line had already announced plans to build a new luxury ship, but following the success of Silver Explorer they are now looking to expand their exploration cruises, as well as their luxury offering. Silver Explorer recently cruised around the British Isles taking in Portsmouth, Lyme Regis, Dartmouth, Ireland and the Western Isles of Scotland, before arriving in Greenock to raise the profile of the ship.
Mike Bonner, the cruise line's General Manager, said: "We want to expand this side of the portfolio but it is expensive to build a new ship so we are looking for a ship to convert... Expedition cruising is growing hugely."
New itineraries are being considered for 2014, with the additional ship in mind, including the Northwest Passage and the Pacific Islands. These would compliment Silver Explorer's current itineraries that take the ship to Antarctica in winter and the Arctic in summer.
This frugal approach to acquiring a ship for conversion and refitting, as opposed to custom building two new ships, shows the cruise line are being financially sensible in the current climate.
Written by Charlie Hamilton-Beaufort
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