A new large mega sailing ship is expected to attract well-heeled travelers from 2026.
But the exciting thing about the project is the wind propulsion system.
Saint-Nazaire – The Orient Express train ran from Paris to Constantinople (now Istanbul) over 100 years ago.
It was a luxury train composed only of sleeping and dining cars.
The French hotel group Accor has adapted and reinterpreted these attributes.
However, not as a train, but as a mega sailing ship of the upper luxury class.
What will then be the largest sailing ship in the world, the "Orient Express Silenseas" is built at the French shipyard Chantiers de l'Atlantique near Saint-Nazaire.
The first tour is planned for 2026.
Bookings should be possible from 2024.
According to
Spiegel
research, the 220-meter-long mega sailing ship "Orient Express Silenseas" should have 54 suites and offer space for 120 passengers.
The suites range in size from 70 to 1415 square meters.
However, the latter, the Presidential Suite, includes a 530 square meter terrace.
Those who can afford to travel can unwind in the spa area, chill out by two swimming pools or swim laps, enjoy seasonal dishes in two restaurants and have cocktails mixed in a speakeasy bar.
Entertainment is provided in a state-of-the-art amphitheater.
Mega sailing ship "Orient Express Silenseas": Cruising in the Mediterranean Sea and the Caribbean
Orient Express Silenseas cruise itineraries will disappoint Orient Express train lovers.
Neither Istanbul nor Calais will be called at.
"The routes will not necessarily be based on those of the historic train journeys," it said when asked.
Instead, it goes to the Mediterranean Sea in summer and to the Caribbean in winter.
It is unknown whether you can live on the cruise ship as a pensioner.
Instead of a penthouse, you can also live on the cruise ship MV Narrative.
Sébastien Bazin, Accor Chairman and CEO, said: “With the Orient Express Silenseas, we are opening a new chapter in our history by transferring the experience and excellence of luxury travel to the world’s most beautiful seas.
Rooted in the history of Orient Express, this exceptional sailing yacht will offer unparalleled service and refined design spaces reminiscent of the golden age of mythical cruising.”
New luxury cruise ship to set sail in 2026: Money comes from commercial banks
The Parisian architect Maxime d'Angeac was hired to keep this promise visually.
He will take care of the interior design.
Nantes-based company Stirling Design International to design the outdoor areas.
Every cruise ship is different.
For example, Disney relies on their characters for the Global Dream.
As
Bloomberg
reports, the project is to be financed 70 to 80 percent by commercial banks.
The rest comes from a consortium of equity partners.
Neither of the two contracting parties made any statements about other costs.
The "Orient Express Silenseas" is the first of two sailing ships.
The sister ship is scheduled for delivery in 2027.
Sailing ship "Orient Express Silenseas": The centerpiece is the wind propulsion system
The heart of the propulsion will be the installation of three solid sail rigs, a revolutionary 1500 square meter wind propulsion system.
"For which we developed and tested a first prototype, which contributes significantly to the propulsion of the ship.
In combination with a hybrid propulsion system that runs on liquefied natural gas (LNG), the Silenseas becomes the reference ship in terms of environmentally friendly operation and design,” says Laurent Castaing, Managing Director of Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
The sails are attached to three masts, each 100 meters high.
The use of LNG should be used as a bridging technology.
According to a press release, hydrogen is to replace LNG.
The necessary technologies for ocean cruisers have not yet been approved.
The “Silenseas” project was presented for the first time at Seatrade, an international shipbuilding trade fair, in 2018: The company writes that it is a combination of luxury yacht and passenger ship.
"Its dimensions allow it to travel in the most exclusive corners of the world," it said at the time.
