By Joseph R. Fonseca
A steel cutting ceremony for Seabourn Ovation, the second of two ultra-luxury vessels which Fincantieri is currently building for the shipowner Seabourn, a brand of Carnival Corporation, was held June 7 at the shipyard in Sestri Ponente, Genoa.
The ceremony was attended by Seabourn President Richard Meadows and Fincantieri shipyard Director Raffaele Davassi.
The new cruise ship, sceduled to join Seabourn’s fleet in spring 2018, continues Seabourn’s fleet expansion, which started back in 2009.
Seabourn Ovation – as its sister ship Seabourn Encore, currently under construction in Marghera’s yard and due for delivery by the end of 2016 – will be approximately 41,000 gross tons, about 210 meters long, 28 wide, being able to reach a cruising speed of 18.6 knots. It will carry 600 guests on board, based on double occupancy, featuring spacious suites each with private veranda.
Safety will be one of the ship's major strong points, the shipbuilder said. It will be built using the very latest technologies, whose standards will exceed the requirements of the reference legislation. Fuel consumption will be significantly reduced by optimizing the ship's hydrodynamics.