The cruise ship Silver Spirit of the Silversea Cruises

The cruise ship Silver Spirit is being built by Fincantieri and in February 2009 it floated out of Ancona shipyard in Italy to begin the final stages of construction. The build of Silver Spirit was the first of its kind at Ancona and brings the total of Fincantieri shipyards involved in medium-sized cruise ship construction to four. The others are Montefalcone, Marghera and Genoa-Sestri Ponente. The sea ship was given its name in March 2008 and will be the largest in the Silversea fleet — although it is small for a ship of its kind. It is Silversea Cruises first new build since 2001's Silver Whisper. The cruise ship features two bow anchors, one spare anchor and two bow thrusters with controllable pitch propellers. There are also four electrically driven winches and the tank capacity is about 1,350m³.

There is a diesel electric power plant satisfying the ship's total electrical requirements in addition to ship propulsion. It will be powered by two 8.5kw main propulsion electrical motors and two shafting lines each with a fixed pitch propeller. There is also one emergency generator diesel engine. Special attention has been paid to the design and construction of the vessel to limit noise generation and transmission.

The cruise ship Silver Spirit at sea

Facilities on the cruise ship

Silver Spirit will consist of 270 ocean-view cabins with a maximum capacity of 540 passengers. All but 14 of the suites will have a balcony and 26 will be classed as Silver Suites, six will be Grand Suites and two will be Owner Suites. All passenger rooms will have a separate seating area, a marble bathroom and a flat-screen TV and DVD player. These cabins will also have day and night lighting settings.

The cruise ship Silver Spirit Stars Supper Club

The cruise liner is decorated throughout in an art deco style and has one of the highest space-to-guest ratios, with 6,700ft³ for each passenger. There is a spa measuring 8,300ft with indoor and outdoor teak-decked pools with three whirlpools. There are also nine treatment rooms, a sauna and steam rooms.

The cruise ship Silver Spirit Veranda Suite

A fitness centre with two aerobic studios, weight-training equipment and a climbing wall, offers an array of classes. The public spaces also include a library, internet cafe, duty free shops and, in a first for Silversea Cruise, a children's programmer.

The cruise ship Silver Spirit Suite

The cruise ship Silver Spirit boasts six dining venues that include some Silversea regulars as well as two new eateries. The established offerings include the simply titled Restaurant — offering international breakfast, lunch and dinner menus by Relais & Châteaux, La Terrazza — a buffet style restaurant with ocean views, Le Champagne — a six-course experience in a romantic setting and the Pool Grill.

Restaurant Pool-bar

In addition, the sea ship also has the Stars Supper Club that will offer supper accompanied with live music and dancing and, for an extra fee, guests will be able to dine in the Asian-inspired Seishin Restaurant.

There are six automatic passenger lifts (14-person capacity), four crew / service lifts and two cargo lifts. Every cabin has 100% fresh air supplies. Passenger and officer cabins and offices utilize a single duct system. Crew cabins use a single duct with a 60% fresh air supply.

The cruise ship Silver Spirit general characteristics:

• Gross tonnage — 36,000 tons
• Leans — 195 m
• Breadth — 26 m
• Maximum Speed — 21 knots
• Passenger Cabins — 270
• Maximum Capacity — 918.