Orient Express Silenseas Super-yacht
By Anne Kalosh
Hospitality giant Accor is the latest hotel company to enter the cruise arena with plans for a 722-foot super-yacht, Orient Express Silenseas.
The company signed a letter of intent for two vessels at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France for delivery in 2026 and 2027.
54 Spacious Suites on Orient Express Silenseas Super-yacht
Each will carry 120 passengers in 54 spacious suites.
They will average 70 square meters/230 square feet. The Presidential Suite will sprawl across 1,415 square meters/4,642 square feet, including a 530-square-meter/1,739-square-foot terrace.
Each super-yacht will offer two restaurants, an amphitheater-cabaret, a speakeasy bar, a spa and two swimming pools (one, a lap pool). A recording studio is in the plans, too.
Technological Innovation & French Savoir-Faire
The three-masted sailing/hybrid propulsion yacht is named for the innovative Silenseas sail technology developed by the shipyard.
Chantiers de l’Atlantique unveiled this design in 2018 at the big Seatrade Cruise Global industry convention and continued to refine and improve it.
It consists of three SolidSail rigs, a “revolutionary 1,500-square-meter unit wind propulsion system, for which we have developed and tested a first prototype,” according to Laurent Castaing, general manager, Chantiers de l’Atlantique, that will “contribute significantly to the propulsion of the ship.”
The vessel will use the innovative Silenseas technology developed by Chantiers de l’Atlantique. * Rendering: ©Maxime d’Angeac & Martin Darzacq fo
Combined with a hybrid propulsion system running on liquefied natural gas, Orient Express Silenseas will become a reference for environmentally-friendly operation and design, Castaing predicted.
“Innovation is at the heart of this ultra-modern ship that will revolutionize the maritime world with new technology to meet today’s sustainability challenges,” added Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO, Accor. “It is a boat designed to make dreams a reality, a showcase for the best of French savoir-faire.”
Orient Express Train Inspired by Ocean Liners
Accor recounted how Georges Nagelmackers, the founder of Orient Express trains, sailed trans-Atlantic from Europe to America in 1867. Fascinated by the grandeur of ocean liners, he was inspired by the luxurious suites with their rich and sumptuous decor, adorned with marquetry.
He experienced the social scene in the restaurants and the ambiance of the lounges, libraries and entertainment venues.
This sea travel experience later inspired the 1883 launch of Nagelmackers’ now legendary Orient Express train.
Follows Ritz-Carlton & Four Seasons
Orient Express follows The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, whose first yacht Evrima entered service in late 2022, with two more larger vessels on the way in 2024 and 2025, and Four Seasons Yachts, to begin sailing in late 2025 with a second yacht scheduled in 2026.
RELATED: Anne Kalosh reports on the new Four Seasons Yachts.
RELATED: News on the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection ships.
Aman Resorts in 2021 also announced superyacht plans, but further details have not come out.
“More Luxurious Than Ritz-Carlton”
Bazin asserted Orient Express Silenseas will be more luxurious than Ritz-Carlton’s Evrima and command double the rates.
Douglas Prothero, CEO of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, told me in a story for Seatrade Cruise News that he’s “not surprised to see others come into the space. We knew there would be other entrants from within ultra-luxury travel and it looks like a unique offering.”
He added: “Orient Express has a very established reputation as an ultra-luxury brand. I’m sure they have their own customers in mind.”
Similarly, Larry Pimentel, CEO and president of Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings, the operating partner of Four Seasons Yachts, told me he isn’t concerned about any overlap with the Four Seasons concept.
“Quality deserves to exist and, from a capacity standpoint, this end of the market is very limited,” Pimentel said.
He drew a comparison with Tesla setting the standard for electric cars and other players coming in with their own interpretations of a great idea.
As the saying goes, Vive la différence!
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