Cruising News Magazine Cruising News June 2018 | Page 16

Viking Celebrates Float Out of Sixth Ship
Viking has announced its sixth ship,
the 930-guest Viking Jupiter has
been “floated out,” marking a major
construction milestone and the first
time that the new ship touched water.
Scheduled for delivery in early 2019,
the arrival of Viking Jupiter will officially
make Viking the largest small ship
ocean cruise line in the industry, only
four years after launching its ocean
business. Named in honour of the
planet Jupiter, the ship will spend her
maiden season sailing itineraries in the
Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
The traditional float out ceremony
took place at the Fincantieri’s Ancona
shipyard and is significant because
it denotes a ship moving into its final
stage of construction. Norwegian
singer Sissel Kyrkjebo served as Viking
Jupiter’s madrina. Following a two-day
process that set Viking Jupiter afloat,
the ship then moved to a nearby
outfitting dock for final construction
and interior build-out.
Viking Jupiter is pictured with Viking
Orion.
Silver Spirit Emerges 49 Feet Longer and Greatly Enhanced
On 3 May 2018, Silversea’s Silver
Spirit left the Fincantieri Shipyard in
Palermo 49 feet longer, following the
completion of a complex lengthening
and refurbishment project. Having
been cut in half, lengthened with
the insertion of a pre-built section,
and renovated extensively, Silver
Spirit was greatly enhanced and
embarked upon her inaugural voyage,
which departed amid jubilation from
Civitavecchia (Rome) on 6 May 2018.
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Silver Spirit’s 59-day dry dock period
ran with precision and according to
schedule, with roughly 1,000 skilled
workers committing approximately
450,000 hours to ensure the
lengthening’s punctual completion.
With the aim of amplifying guests’
onboard experience in line with the
successful design of Silversea’s flagship,
Silver Muse, the lengthening project
has brought the ship to an exceptional
standard: among other improvements,
stylish décor enhancements have
brought superlative comfort and
a sense of spaciousness to public
areas and suites; the ship’s pool
deck has been enlarged; a new
eight-restaurant arrangement has
increased dining options, with the
introduction of Spaccanapoli, Silver
Note, Atlantide, and Indochine, as
well as the renovation of La Terrazza;
and a number of new amenities
have upgraded the onboard
offering, including the Arts Café, Tor’s
Observation Library, the Zagara Spa,
the Panorama Lounge, and the chic
Dolce Vita lounge.
“I appreciate the complexity of this
feat of engineering,” commented
Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Silversea’s
Chairman. “As such, I am extremely
proud of the amazing job my team
and Fincantieri have done. Our
beloved Silver Spirit resumed service in
a condition that is even more beautiful
than before.”