Cruise news

WORKERS at a Dutch shipyard have defied the Covid-19 outbreak to complete Silversea Cruises’ Galapagos Islands luxury expedition ship.

The construction of the 100-passenger, 5,800 gross tonnage Silver Origin at the De Hoop facility in a remote eastern corner of the Netherlands continued through the crisis with national health authority safety and cleaning procedures in place and a reduced allvolunteer workforce.

Most staff stayed in an on-site accommodation barge and underwent daily temperature checks, with strict social distancing and a one-way system throughout Silver Origin which resulted in none of them catching the virus.

Even the sea trials off the Dutch coast were unusual, with a travel ban meaning engineers had to calibrate some of the ship’s manoeuvring systems remotely from St Petersburg in Russia, 1,500 miles away – a world first. Silversea chief Roberto

Martinoli says: “We are so grateful to all the professionals at the De Hoop shipyard. In the face of such adversity, their efforts were extraordinary and represent the resilience of European industry.

‘’Silver

Origin looks magnificent. Our pioneering new ship represents the dawning of a new age of travel in the Galapagos Islands and we look forward to welcoming guests aboard when the time is right.”

The ship will head to her new base in the wildlife-rich Pacific archipelago after final fitting out is completed in the summer. silversea.com