By
Laura Hyde |
Emerald Cruises’ newest luxury yacht, Emerald Sakara, has been officially christened at a ceremony in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
President and CEO of the Cruise Lines Industry Association (CLIA) Kelly Craighead christened the vessel at Port of San Juan’s Pier 4 East terminal.
“The dedication of Emerald Sakara was extraordinary, and I am honoured to be an ambassador for the entire CLIA team in the esteemed maritime tradition of godmother,” said Craighead. “The stunning luxury of Emerald Sakara, complemented by Emerald Cruises’ commitment to environmentally responsible tourism, exemplifies CLIA’s advocacy for sustainable tourism and preservation of cruise destinations around the world for future generations.”
The ceremony was also attended by Glen Moroney, owner of Emerald Cruises’ parent company Scenic Group, and Ken Muskat, Scenic Group managing director for the USA. Travel agents and trade partners joined embarking cruise guests and media from around the world for the traditional champagne bottle breaking onboard the vessel while music was performed by a local cultural band.
“We are a pretty unique entity in the cruise industry when it comes to both our river and ocean luxury ships,” said Moroney. “We are intimately involved with every aspect of the build process, coming up with the concept, doing the design, overseeing the engineering, then building the ships including all interior design in house then employing all of the crew members directly. Having Kelly as the godmother of Emerald Sakara follows that same thought process as she embodies a similar can-do attitude and history, and her leadership and guidance with CLIA over the recent challenging years for the industry is inspirational.”
Emerald Sakara made its maiden voyage from Athens in Greece to Rome, Italy, in August 2023. The vessel will join Emerald Azzurra to spend the winter season sailing the Caribbean and Central America.