Germany’s Meyer Werft has started work on the second LNG-powered Nova class cruise vessel for Silversea Cruises, an ultra-luxury brand of Royal Caribbean Group.
Silversea and Meyer Werft marked the occasion with a traditional steel cutting ceremony in Papenburg on November 23, according to a statement by Sliversea.
Silver Ray is a sister ship to Silver Nova which will enter service next year, with Silver Ray following in summer 2024.
The cruise line has set a new launch date for Silver Nova, which, due to the global situation, is now expected to join Silversea’s fleet on August 14, 2023, sailing round-trip from Fusina (Venice) on her maiden voyage.
The new class of ships will operate using a trio of power sources including a fuel cell system, battery technology, and dual-fuel engines using LNG as the main fuel.
According to Meyer Werft, the fuel cell system with an output of 4 megawatts would complement the LNG engines as the first large-scale installation of its kind in the cruise industry, supplying the ship with enough electricity to power the entire hotel operation.
Both of the ships will have a travel capacity of 728 guests and a gross tonnage of 54,700 tons.