On Saturday, May 29, Emerald Cruises' first superyacht Emerald Azzurra was officially christened in an intimate dockside ceremony in Port Venice (Italy).
The naming ceremony was attended by Glen Moroney, Founder and Chairman of Scenic Group; his wife Karen Moroney, Director of Project Design; local dignitaries; embarking passengers; and Emerald Cruises staff who worked on delivering the luxury yacht.
Speaking during the naming ceremony Glen Moroney said Scenic Group holds a unique position of owning the complete end-to-end process where they design, build, and operate their vessels.
"Special thanks must go to the project team, headed by Ivo Skelin, for their commitment and dedication during the building of Emerald Azzurra.”
Godmother Sarah Wikevand, who is a joint Managing Director at ROL-Reader Offers Ltd, was unable to attend the ceremony but Rosie Cairns, joint Managing Director at ROL stepped in.
According to David Winterton, Global Director of Brand and Marketing at Emerald Cruises, the team at Reader Offers Ltd were true advocates for the cruising market and their dedication reflected Emerald's own commitment to growing the popularity of luxury yacht cruising.
"As one of Emerald Cruises’ top performing agents for both river and yacht cruising, ROL has been instrumental in the success of launching Emerald Cruises’ first ocean-going luxury yacht, Emerald Azzurra. We are truly honored that Sarah has agreed to serve as an Emerald Cruises Godmother.”
Emerald Azzurra entered service on March 12, 2022, and is currently sailing an 8-day "Croatia in Depth" itinerary. The ultra-luxury boat will continue sailing the Adriatic & Mediterranean coastlines prior to repositioning (RepositionCruises.com) to Doha Qatar in December. The winter 2022-23 schedule lists Arabian Peninsula voyages between homeports Doha and Dubai UAE. In 2023, the fleet joins Azzurra's sistership Emerald Sakara, which Mediterranean itineraries are already on sale.