Silversea celebrated the float out of its second Nova-class ship, Silver Ray, at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany’s Papenburg on February 25. The float-out marks a significant milestone in a ship’s construction, representing the project’s advancement into its final stages. Now nearing completion, approximately 15 months since Meyer Werft first cut steel for the ship, Silver Ray is scheduled to debut in the Mediterranean in June as the sixth addition to Silversea’s fleet in just three years.
After Meyer Werft’s craftspeople cleaned Silver Ray’s hull, approximately 100,000 cubic meters of water flooded the dock over four hours and two tugboats repositioned the 728-guest ship from the construction hall into the neighboring harbor basin, where the docking out phase will continue. The team subsequently installed its funnel and radar mast. In observance of shipbuilding traditions, Captain Alessandro Zanello, Master of Silver Ray, welded a newly minted, commemorative coin to a wall on the pool deck as a symbol of good luck.
“With the float-out of Silver Ray, excitement is building for the launch of the second ship in our pioneering Nova-class,” said Barbara Muckermann, president of Silversea, in a written statement. “We received such incredibly strong feedback on Silver Nova from guests, travel advisors and members of the press following her launch in August 2023. Sustaining the wave of innovation that is driving our success, the launch of Silver Ray will strengthen Royal Caribbean Group’s unwavering commitment to delivering a lifetime of vacations for guests, with its industry-leading global brands.”
Silver Ray will soon undertake a conveyance of 20 miles down the Ems River to the North Sea ahead of its sea trials—a unique journey due to the narrowness of the waterway. The ship is scheduled to enter service in June 2024, spending its inaugural season in the Mediterranean, before crossing the Atlantic in December.
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