Silver Endeavour became the first cruise ship to be officially named in the Lemaire Channel (off the Antarctic Peninsula), popular as one of the most scenic straits on the continent.
On November 19, British explorer Felicity Aston MBE blessed Silversea's newest ship during a special ceremony alongside Captain Niklas Peterstam (boat's Master) to an audience of executives, crew members, and industry partners, who lined the 11-km-long waterway in Zodiac boats.
In keeping with the fragile environment, Aston triggered an ice-sculpted, magnum-sized bottle to smash against the hull, rather than glass.
Silver Endeavour is the 3rd ship of the line to be named in 9 months.
President and chief executive Roberto Martinoli said that strengthened their position as the industry’s leading cruise line, broadening their diverse polar offering for their guests’ enjoyment.
"A source of great inspiration for our guests, we are honoured to name Felicity Aston as the ship’s godmother. Felicity is the perfect ambassador for Silversea; she shares the same unwavering sense of curiosity and adventure that unites all of our guests.”
A climate scientist and polar explorer, Aston became the first woman to ski solo across Antarctica back in 2012. She was also the first person to traverse the white continent by muscle power alone.
Aston was among the guests on the inaugural voyage of Silver Endeavour and said that those who sailed with Silversea Cruises would become “Antarctic ambassadors” for the future.
Built to PC6 polar class specifications, the Silver Endeavour ship is specially designed for expedition cruising. The vessel will extend Silversea’s polar seasons through state-of-the-art amenities like an industry-leading Zodiac-to-passenger ratio, kayaks, cutting-edge navigation & exploration technology, including a remote gimbal camera system that can capture high-quality images from 5 km.
Passengers will benefit from a crew-to-passenger ratio of 1:1 and butler service for each suite, while all guests going on Antarctic voyages are gifted polar parkas/waterproof trousers, as well as the use of boots for the duration of the expedition, stored in a “mud room” on deck 3.