Leading ultra-luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises has taken delivery of new ship Silver Dawn at the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona, Italy. Executives from Silversea Cruises and Fincantieri today attended an intimate delivery ceremony to welcome the 10th ship to the cruise line’s fleet.

Following a video screening of the official coin and flag ceremonies, Roberto Martinoli—Silversea’s President and CEO—penned his signature to officially take delivery of Silver Dawn. Richard D. Fain—Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group—and Jason Liberty—Executive Vice President and CFO, Royal Caribbean Group—each connected via video feed to deliver a speech. Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager of Fincantieri’s Merchant Ships Division, was also in attendance. A testament to the strength and resilience of the global cruise industry, Silver Dawn is the third ship to join Silversea’s fleet since the start of 2020.

“In welcoming the beautiful Silver Dawn as the 10th ship in our fleet, we have reached a huge milestone on our mission to take our guests deep into the world in luxury,” says Roberto Martinoli, President & CEO, Silversea Cruises. “As well as the tireless efforts of the teams at Fincantieri and Silversea Cruises, I would like to recognise the great contribution of the Royal Caribbean Group. I am grateful for the Group’s continued support, which has proven invaluable once again. Silver Dawn represents an evolution of luxury cruise travel; she builds on the innovations of her sister ships, Silver Moon and Silver Muse, with Otium – our pioneering new wellness programme. With Silver Dawn, we affirm our position as the leader in ultra-luxury cruising. I look forward to welcoming our guests aboard Silver Dawn from spring 2022.”

Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager of Fincantieri’s Merchant Ships Division, stated: “In spite of the pandemic, we have been able to keep all deliveries in line with the contractual dates. That’s why I am particularly pleased to celebrate the delivery of Silver Dawn, just a few months after the successful delivery of her sister vessel, Silver Moon. We have cooperated with Silversea for many years, realising a line of distinctive vessels, but we are already looking ahead to the new challenges we will have to face—ready for a new generation of cruise vessels.”

Silver Dawn: An Evolution of Ultra-Luxury Cruise Travel

The third ship in the Muse-class series and the fourth ship to result from Silversea’s longstanding collaboration with Fincantieri, Silver Dawn is a sistership to Silversea’s Silver Muse—built at the Fincantieri shipyard of Sestri Ponente (Genoa) in April 2017—and Silver Moon, which was delivered in Ancona in October 2020. Silver Dawn accommodates just 596 guests in 298 ocean-view suites – 96% of which have a private veranda – and has a crew-to-guest ratio of 1:1.45.

In total, over 390 companies contributed to Silver Dawn’s construction. In the peak months, an average of 1,000 professionals were working simultaneously on the ship. Over 15,000 steel plates and profiles were cut for her construction, approximately 95,500 litres of paint were applied, and 18 contractors installed approximately 1,690,000m of electric cable.

The Otium Wellness Programme: The Original Art of Comfort

Building on the success of Silversea’s innovative culinary programme, S.A.L.T., which launched aboard Silver Moon, Silver Dawn introduces a pioneering new wellness programme, Otium. In a nod to the cruise line’s Italian heritage, Otium takes inspiration from the leisurely nature of the ancient Roman lifestyle. In Roman culture, Otium was a period of time dedicated to leisure, in which people bathed, conversed, sung, theorised, drank, ate, and relaxed. Diverging from existing wellness programmes, Otium encourages balanced indulgence, pampering, and pleasure over sacrifice and delayed gratification. It will provide guests with a customised, multi-dimensional wellness journey throughout Silver Dawn, starting in some of the most spacious suites at sea, growing with a curated range of treatments in the reimagined spa, and trickling out to permeate every moment of the cruise experience. The result is an elevation of Silversea’s unique take on luxury.

Steve McCurry Photographs Silver Dawn

For the first time in his illustrious career, world-renowned photographer and long-term Silversea collaborator Steve McCurry has cast his lens on a working shipyard. McCurry travelled to the Fincantieri facility in Trieste to photograph Silver Dawn from August 4, 2021. As well as photographing the shipyard’s workers as Silver Dawn neared completion, McCurry took the opportunity to photograph Silversea’s President and CEO, Roberto Martinoli, as well as the ship’s Master, Captain Samuele Failla.

“I had never seen a ship in dry dock before, and was fascinated to see that the entire ship rested and balanced on a series of blocks,” says Steve McCurry. “It was especially interesting to see the part of the ship which would be underwater. The workers were meticulous as if they were working on a priceless work of art. I was reminded of watching a flower opening up into its full beauty. The craftsmanship and skill with which they worked was extraordinary.”