Silversea's newest ship, Silver Moon, is one step closer to welcoming guests to the cruise line, having successfully completed its sea trials between August 8 and 20. With a reduced crew of approximately 320 due to preventative health protocols, the ship traveled between Fincantieri's shipyards in Ancona and Trieste, Italy, undergoing a week-long dry dock period in the latter. Scheduled for delivery on October 30, Silver Moon will become the second ship to join Silversea's ultra-luxury fleet in 2020, following the delivery of Silver Origin on June 3.
THE SEA TRIALS
Senior Silversea officers, external engineers, and representatives from both Fincantieri and the Royal Caribbean Group subjected Silver Moon to a series of preliminary tests in the Adriatic Sea, including noise and vibration tests, over three days beginning August 8. Once Silver Moon was out of the water in Trieste, stability tests were conducted; public spaces were inspected; and engineers applied the finishing touches to the ship's exterior, including cleaning and painting the hull and polishing the ship's brass propellers. Secondary tests, including speed tests, were then carried out on the return voyage from Trieste to Ancona. Work has now resumed on the ship's interior, ahead of the official delivery in October.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SILVER MOON IN NUMBERS
Silversea's sister ship, Silver Moon, represents the latest achievement in the cruise line's long-standing partnership with renowned shipbuilder Fincantieri. During the peak months of Silver Moon's construction in Ancona, over 1,000 skilled professionals were working on the ship simultaneously, with more than 390 companies contributing to the construction. Painted with nearly 100,000 liters of paint, over 15,000 steel plates and profiles were cut to form the ship's superstructure, 920 tons of which were transported from 755 nautical miles away. Approximately 1,690,000 meters of electrical cable were installed by 18 contractors, along with 60,000 square meters of insulation, 450,000 kilograms of air conditioning ductwork, and 92,000 kilograms of ventilation ductwork. In addition, more than 5,000 automation channels have been installed to connect the ship's mechanisms.
