 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1994; 31 years ago (1994) in Monaco |
| Founder | Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio |
| Headquarters | Fontvieille,Monaco (Executive Offices) Miami, Florida, U.S. (Operations Offices) |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Bert Hernandez (President) |
| Products | Cruises |
| Parent | Royal Caribbean Group |
| Website | silversea |
Silversea is a luxury cruise line and expedition travel brand headquartered inMonaco. Founded in 1994 by the Vlasov Group of Monaco and the Lefebvre family of Rome, it pioneered all-inclusive cruising with its first ship,Silver Cloud.[1] Since July 2020, it has been owned byRoyal Caribbean Group.
Silversea was founded in 1994 by ajoint venture betweenV-Ships (previously known as Vlasov Group) of Monaco andAntonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio of Rome. The joint owners had previously been the co-owners ofSitmar Cruises.[2][3]
As a marketing strategy the new line introduced all-inclusive fares including gratuities, beverages, port charges, travel insurance, and some complimentary shore excursions.[3] As about 80 percent of Silversea's customers were expected to come from North America, the line established a sales office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The first president of Silversea would be John Bland, former president of Sitmar Cruises. The majority of the first office staff had worked together at Sitmar Cruises.
Silversea's first ship,Silver Cloud, which entered service in April 1994, was followed in January 1995 by asister ship,Silver Wind.[4]In September 2000, the line launchedSilver Shadow andSilver Whisper in January 2001. Both of these ships were enlarged versions of the original two ships, carrying about 100 more passengers.
In June 2001, Silversea announced thatManfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio would become chairman of Silversea, assuming the position from his brother Francesco Lefebvre d’Ovidio.[5]
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In 2007, Silversea announced they would be starting an expedition division with the acquisition of the 144 passenger formerWorld Discoverer.[6] Silversea hired expedition guide Conrad Combrink with a mandate to create a luxury expedition product, something that did not yet exist in the cruise industry.[7] The purchased ship was renamedPrince Albert II (nowSilver Explorer) and christened byPrince Albert II of Monaco.[8]
In December 2009, Silversea launchedSilver Spirit, the first in a new class of ships.
On 18 June 2012, Silversea acquired Canodros S.A., an Ecuadorian tourism company that operated in theGalápagos Islands. The purchase of the line also included the former Renaissance shipGalapagos Explorer II. She was subsequently moved into the "Silversea Expeditions" brand along withSilver Explorer.[9]Silver Galapagos entered service in September 2013.[10]
On 10 September 2013, Silversea confirmed that it would be adding a third vessel to the "Silversea Expeditions" brand,Silver Discoverer, formerly sailing asClipper Odyssey for Zegrahm Expeditions.[11]Silver Discoverer was christened in Singapore in March 2014 and set sail on her inaugural voyage along Australia'sKimberley Coast on 2 April 2014.[12]
Fincantieri delivered the fleet's ninth ship,Silver Muse to Silversea on 2 April 2017, at itsSestri Ponente shipyard.Silver Muse's debut cruise set sail on 10 April 2017, in theMediterranean Sea.[13] That same year, Silversea announced an order forSilver Moon, a sister ship toSilver Muse, to be built by Fincantieri and delivered in 2020.[14] In May 2018, Silversea announced an order forSilver Dawn, another sister ship ofSilver Muse, delivered by Fincantieri in 2021.
On 14 June 2018,Royal Caribbean purchased a majority stake in Silversea for approximately $1 billion fromManfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, son of cofounder Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio, and who had become the sole owner of the cruise line.[15][16] The transaction was completed in July 2018.[17] Following the announcement, Silversea ordered three new ships: two Evolution-class vessels to be built byMeyer Werft to be delivered beginning 2022 and one expedition vessel from Shipyard De Hoop to be delivered in March 2020.[18]
In July 2020, Royal Caribbean Group acquired the remaining shares of Silversea from Heritage Cruise Holding in exchange for 5.2 million shares of Royal Caribbean Group stock.[19][20] Silversea also took delivery of the new expedition ship theSilver Origin, built for their expedition fleet in theGalapagos Islands. This was the first new ship to be designed and completed under the new Royal Caribbean Group management.[21]
On 14 June 2022, early reports came out that Silversea was very interested in purchasingCrystal Endeavor from the defunctCrystal Cruises brand, with records of the trademarked nameSilver Endeavor being filled. However, it was further reported on 28 June, that both The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and the former owners of Silversea,Heritage Cruise Holding (who recently purchased the two Crystal ships and the entire brand) were still interested in purchasing the vessel as well.[22] Silversea's purchase was confirmed in July 2022, with a purchase price of $275 million, and the ship being renamedSilver Endeavor.[23]
In December 2022, Barbara Muckerman replaced Roberto Martinoli as Silversea President and CEO.[24]
In July 2023, Silversea took delivery of their twelfth ship,Silver Nova, part of the new Evolution class of vessel, and innovative asymmetrical design, and the largest ship for the line.[25] The ship was named on 4 January 2024, which also kicked off Silversea's 30th anniversary year.[26] The second ship,Silver Ray, entered service in 2024.[27][28]
On 12 April 2024, it was announced that Bert Herndez replaced Barbara Muckermann as president of Silversea Cruises.[29]
On 14 May 2024, Silversea took delivery of the second Evolution-class ship,Silver Ray, in Eemshaven, Netherlands, two days earlier than planned,[30] with a maiden voyage scheduled for 15 June from Lisbon, Portugal.[31]
Silversea was solely owned and led by theLefebvre d’Ovidio family until 2018, and fully bought out byRoyal Caribbean Group in 2020. The cruise line has had 8 presidents in its 30-year history:
| President | Years | Ships Introduced |
|---|---|---|
| John Bland[32] | 1992 -1995 | Silver Cloud,Silver Wind |
| Bill Smith[33] | 1995 - 2001 | Silver Shadow,Silver Whisper |
| Albert Peter[34] | 2001 - 2007 | Silver Explorer |
| Amerigo Perasso[35] | 2007 - 2010 | Silver Spirit |
| Enzo Visone[36] | 2010 - 2016 | Silver Discoverer, Silver Galapagos, Silver Muse |
| Roberto Martinoli[37] | 2016 - 2022 | Silver Moon, Silver Dawn, Silver Origin |
| Barbara Muckermann[38][39] | 2022 - 2024 | Silver Endeavour,Silver Nova |
| Bert Hernadez[40] | 2024–present | Silver Ray |
The table lists the current fleet of ships operated by Silversea Cruises.[41]
| Ship | Built | Builder | In service for Silversea | Passengers | Gross tonnage | Flag | Christened by | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Cloud | 1994 | Francisco Visentini(hull) T. Mariotti(completion) | 1994–present | 254 | 17,400 |  Bahamas | Eugenia Beck Lefebvre D'Ovidio (chairman's mother)[42] | Transferred to expedition service in 2017[43] |  |
| Silver Wind | 1995 | Francisco Visentini(hull) T. Mariotti(completion) | 1995– present | 274 | 17,400 | Bahamas | Patrizia Lefebvre D'Ovidio (founders daughter in law)[42] | Transferred to expedition service in 2021[44] |  |
| Silver Shadow | 2000 | Francisco Visentini(hull) T. Mariotti(completion) | 2000–present | 392 | 28,258 | Bahamas | Janet Burke[45] (Silversea VP) |  | |
| Silver Whisper | 2001 | Francisco Visentini(hull) T. Mariotti(completion) | 2001–present | 392 | 28,258 | Bahamas | Marzia Lefebvre D'Ovidio[46](chairmans wife) |  | |
| Silver Spirit | 2009 | Fincantieri, Italy | 2009–present | 608 | 39,519 | Bahamas | Silvia Lefebvre D'Ovidio[47] (chairmans sister) | Originally 36,000 tons. Lengthened in March 2018. |  |
| Silver Muse | 2017 | Fincantieri, Italy | 2017–present | 596 | 40,791 | Bahamas | Costanza Lefebvre d'Ovidio[48](chairmans daughter) | .jpg) | |
| Silver Moon | 2020 | Fincantieri, Italy | 2020–present | 596 | 40,844 | Bahamas | Gaia Gaja[49](Italian winemaker) | Sister ship toSilver Muse keel laid on 15 February 2019[50] |  |
| Silver Origin | 2020[51] | Shipyard De Hoop,Netherlands | 2020 –present | 100 | 6,365 |  Ecuador | Johanna Carrión[52] (Galápagos conservationist) | First purpose built expedition ship for Silversea |  |
| Silver Dawn | 2021 | Fincantieri, Italy | 2021–present | 596 | 40,855 | Bahamas | Nilou Motamed[53] (Food & Travel writer/personality ) | Sister ship toSilver Moon | .jpg) |
| Silver Endeavour | 2021 | MV WerftenStralsund, Germany | 2022–present | 220 | 20,649 | Bahamas | Felicity Aston[54] (British adventurer/climate scientist) | PreviouslyCrystal Endeavor |  |
| Silver Nova | 2023[55] | Meyer Werft, Germany[56] | 2023–present | 728 | 55,051 | Bahamas | Nina Compton (Chef)[26] | Largest ship built for Silversea | |
| Silver Ray | 2024[30] | Meyer Werft, Germany | 2024–present | 728 | 55,051 | Bahamas | Maria Josefina Olascoaga[57] (ocean scientist) | Sister ship toSilver Nova |
| Ship | Built | Builder | In service for Silversea | Gross tonnage | Flag | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Explorer | 1989 | Rauma-Repola | 2008–2023 | 6,072 | Bahamas | Left Silversea in November 2023 to join expedition cruise line Exploris[58][59] | .jpg) |
| Silver Discoverer | 1989 | NKK Tsu Works - Tsu, Japan | 2014–2019 | 5,218 | Bahamas | .jpg) | |
| Silver Galapagos | 1990 | Cantieri Navale Ferrari-Signani | 2013–2021[60] | 4,200 | Ecuador |  |
