Silversea Prepares For Silver Origin Arrival

Silversea has confirmed that its purpose-built Galapagos ship, Silver Origin, will launch on August 22.

The 100-passenger ship has been completed just a month behind schedule, with Duth shipyard De Hoop implementing rigid safety procedures in order to be able to continue construction throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.  The shipyard, located in remote Lobith in the Netherlands, offered its 250 employees the opportunity to cease working when the country implemented a national lockdown. While many returned to families or their countries of origin before borders closed, around 200 employees chose to continue working. In addition to a limit on how many people were permitted to work on board the ship at a time, many of the employees became residents in an on-site facility, Barge Rossini, reducing contact circles.

Silver Origin encountered problems in her build back in November, when shallow waters on the Waal River saw the ship’s float out delayed until December. Ironically, January and February saw further delays in construction due to increased water levels caused by heavy rain, rendering the 12 bridges between De Hoop Shipyard and the sea impassable.

With sea trials finally completed at the end of April, Silver Origin is now undergoing final touches ahead of its official delivery in the coming weeks.

Luxury and expedition cruise line Silversea will launch a second new ship in 2020 – Silver Moon – though the 596-passenger’s original debut date has now been pushed back to October.