CRUISE ARTICLE:
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(Image courtesy of Silversea Cruises)
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On December 3, 2021, Silversea Cruises announced the name of the lead ship in a new class of ultra-luxury ships. Silver Nova will be the first of three ships now planned for the line's Nova class (also known as "Project Evolution").
The new ship will be more than 25 percent larger than the largest ship in the current Silversea fleet. However, at 54,700 gross register tons (“GRT”), the ship will still be a relatively small cruise ship, consistent with other ships in the luxury category. She will be able to accommodate 728 guests, giving her a luxurious passenger space ratio of 75 GRT per passenger. In addition, passengers will benefit from a crew-to-passenger ratio of 1 to 1.3, which again is quite good as it foretells a high level of service. What makes Silver Nova particularly noteworthy is the efforts that have gone into making the ship suatainable. First, three different technologies will be used in powering the ship. The main power system will use liquified natural gas (“LNG”). This technology, which has become the power technology of choice for new cruise ships, burns less CO2 and has 97 percent fewer particulates than the fuel oil used in most traditional cruise ships. Supplementing the main power system will be a set of hydrogen fuel cells. These will be capable of supplying all of the power needed for the ship's hotel operation. The hydrogen fuel cells assisted by banks of batteries will allow Silver Nova to turn off its main generators while in port thus becoming local emission-free while in port. Silver Nova will also have the option of plugging into the shoreside energy supply, which would also make the ship emission free while in port. It is predicted that Silver Nova will achieve a 40 percent overall reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions per double suite when compared to Silversea's previous class of ships (the Muse class). In addition to its hybrid power system, several other steps have been taken to make the ship environmentally friendly. The hull and propulsion system have been hydrodynamically optimized so that the ship will need less energy to cut through the water. A waste heat recovery system will allow the ship to recycle some of the heat produced in burning fuel and channel it for other useful purposes. Similarly, the Micro Auto Gasification System will reduce the volume of onboard waste, resulting in lower incineration emissions. Silver Nova is being built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenberg, Germany. Construction began with a steel-cutting ceremony on November 13, 2021. The ship is expected to joing the Silversea fleet in the summer of 2023. |
(Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean Group)
Above: Sparks fly as the first steel is cut for Silver Nova.
Below: Meyer Werft's Jan Meyer and Silversea's Roberto Martinoli at the steel cutting ceremony for Silver Nova. 
(Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean Group)
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Cruise ship article - - Silversea - - Silver Nova - Keeping the Environment in Mind