Silversea Cruises said the $40 million conversion of the
Silver Cloud for expedition cruising has been completed.
The work, done at the Palumbo Shipyards in Malta, included
extensive steel reinforcement to give the ship the strength and maneuverability
required for expedition cruising.
The bulbous bow was replaced with a reinforced ice-class
bulb to allow for navigation of polar waters. New sonar has been installed for
underwater detection and the new windows are resistant to polar temperatures,
ensuring comfortable temperatures inside the vessel, Silversea said.
The ship's capacity has been reduced from 296 passengers to
254 in non-polar regions and just 200 in polar regions. The ship will carry 16
zodiacs and 10 kayaks. Voyages are led by a team of 20 expedition experts in
non-polar regions and 22 in polar regions.
Guests will have access to a new photo studio that enables
content editing onboard. Silver Cloud's boutique has been reworked to offer
merchandise aligned with an expedition vessel.
The 23-year-old Silver Cloud was Silversea's first ship. It
is now traveling to Buenos Aires, where guests will embark on the inaugural
expedition voyage to Antarctica on Nov. 15.