German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has started production of the cruise ship ‘Silver Ray’ for Silversea Cruises with a steel cutting ceremony at the Papenburg yard.
Like sister ship Silver Nova, which is already under construction, Silver Ray is said to set new standards in sustainability and luxury with several notable innovations. The pair is set to become what is considered to be the most sustainable ships in their class. Silver Nova will enter service in August 2023, with Silver Ray following in summer 2024.
Meyer Werft MD Jan Meyer said: “Like Silver Nova, Silver Ray, with her innovative propulsion concept and other significant technical innovations, represents a milestone on the road to carbon-neutral cruising. I am sure that both ships will delight their passengers from day one.”
Roberto Martinoli, President and CEO, Silversea Cruises, added: “We are very proud to have held the steel cutting ceremony for Silver Ray at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, marking an important milestone in the construction of one of the industry’s most environmentally conscious ships. The second vessel in our pioneering Nova class, Silver Ray – and her sister ship, Silver Nova – will strengthen our leadership in ultra-luxury cruising, introducing advancements in engineering that support our mission to showcase the world to our guests, and to do so mindfully, respectfully, and in unprecedented comfort.”
Thanks to an innovative fuel concept with low-emission LNG, a fuel cell system for the entire hotel operation and batteries, the new ship is thought to offer the best possible measures to reduce emissions, esceeding the IMO’s EEDI by 25%.
The 4MW fuel cell system will complement the LNG-fuelled engines as the first large-scale installation of its kind in the cruise industry, supplying the ship with enough electricity to power the entire hotel operation. This completely eliminates pollutant emissions while the ship is in port. In addition, a battery system increases the overall efficiency of the ship by absorbing peak loads, thus significantly reducing fuel consumption. A newly developed Micro Auto Gasification System (MAGS) converts waste on board into thermal energy in line with the circular economy, further increasing the vessel’s efficiency.
