Saga Cruises marked the official keel-laying of its first newbuild riverboat - Spirit of the Rhine, with a ceremony at Vahali Shipyard in Serbia, held on Wednesday, December 11.
The ceremony was attended by Saga’s Director of Product and Purchasing, Robert Goodwin, Head of Product and Purchasing for Saga River Cruising, Andrew Iwasyszyn, Vahali owner Vincent Bekker, Johan Rijfers of the vessel’s Dutch owners Rijfers River Cruises as well as guest of honour Gilles Beschoor Plug, the Netherlands Ambassador to Serbia.
The guests watched a crane lower the keel's first part onto a ‘lucky’ coin in the shipyard’s production hall.
Spirit of the Rhine will feature a capacity of 190 cruise passengers, in 17-square-metres cabins - the largest on any vessel chartered by the British company.
The Rhine and Dutch waterways will be regularly included in the inaugural season of Spirit of the Rhine, which will commence with a 6-night cruise on March 23, 2021.