By
Alex Smith |
Royal Caribbean Group has acquired former Crystal Cruises’ vessel Endeavor after receiving court approval. The ship, which will be renamed Silver Endeavour, is scheduled to join Silversea Cruises’ fleet in July.
The ship was purchased for $275 million, financed through a 15-year unsecured term loan guaranteed by German export credit agency Euler Hermes.
“With Silver Endeavour, we are seeking to grow our world class fleet to meet the exceptional demand for ultra-luxury expedition cruising, while also enhancing our profitability profile and affirming Silversea’s position as the industry’s leading ultra-luxury and expedition cruise line,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group.
Silver Endeavour has been designed to PC6 polar class specifications, enabling it to operate all of Silversea’s current expedition itineraries. It can accommodate amenities including a fleet of Zodiac boats and offers a high space-per-guest ratio.
“The expedition cruising industry is poised to resume accelerated growth driven by demand among high-end, affluent customers for travel to remote and hard-to-access destinations,” said Roberto Martinoli, president and CEO of Silversea Cruises. “This ship will be the fourth vessel to join Silversea’s fleet since 2020, which demonstrates our commitment to growth.”
Royal Caribbean Group will also protect the deposits of guests who were originally booked on Crystal Endeavor and allow them to make a new booking with one of the Group’s global brands. It will also refund an amount paid on their new booking up to the amount of any lost deposits not received back from Crystal or other sources.
Silver Endeavour is scheduled to begin its inaugural season in Antarctica starting from November 2022.