By
Elizabeth Robinson |
Seabourn held a traditional coin and launch ceremony to mark its newest ship, Seabourn Ovation, ‘floating out’ from drydock and moving to its outfitting dock at the Fincantieri shipyard in Sestri, Italy.
The time-honoured ceremony is an enduring maritime tradition that calls for a ‘madrina’ (or ‘Godmother’) to preside over the celebratory events. Seabourn chose its longest-serving female shipboard team member, cruise director Jan Stearman, who joined the company 22 years ago.
Seabourn president Richard Meadows, Fincantieri shipyard director Paolo Capobianco and Seabourn Ovation captain Stig Betten observed the welding of two commemorative gold coins to the ship’s mast. Stearman then cut the ship’s cord to allow water to flow into the ship’s building dock. The ship will undergo final construction at the outfitting dock until it is ready for delivery in 2018.
"Watching the coin ceremony and seeing Seabourn Ovation officially touch the water for the first time…was a very special moment for all of us at Seabourn, representing a significant step toward the further expansion of our luxury fleet," said Richard Meadows, president of Seabourn.
Following the ship's delivery, Seabourn Ovation will embark on an 11-day inaugural voyage departing May 5, 2018, from Venice, Italy, to Barcelona, Spain. The ship will go on to spend the majority of her maiden season cruising the waters of Northern Europe, offering a series of seven-day Baltic and Scandinavian cruises between Copenhagen and Stockholm, which will include the line's signature three-day stay in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Seabourn Ovation is being fashioned by hospitality designer Adam Tihany with contemporary interiors, modern design elements and innovations consistent with Seabourn's reputation for “understated elegance”. The new ship will round out the current planned expansion of the line’s fleet.