By
Alex Smith |
Saga Cruises has celebrated the keel laying of its first new luxury boutique river ship at the Vahali shipyard in Serbia.
Guests at the ceremony included Robert Goodwin, director of product and purchasing at Saga; Vincent Baker, owner of Vahali; and Gilles Beschoor Plugm, the Dutch Ambassador to Serbia. The first section of the ship’s keel was lowered onto a lucky coin as the attendees watched in the shipyard’s production hall.
“This is another historic landmark in Saga Cruises’ history – our first newbuild river ship which will echo the luxury styling of our new ocean ships Spirit of Discovery and Spirit of Adventure,” said Robin Shaw, CEO of travel at Saga. “Saga has chartered river ships for many years, so we are thrilled to take another giant step to build a river ship to our own specifications to transfer Saga Cruises’ renowned quality of service, accommodation and cuisine across to river vessels.”
Spirit of the Rhine will have capacity for 190 passengers. Her six-night inaugural voyage will sail along the Rhine and Dutch waterways, departing on 23 March 2021.