When one thinks of the Orient Express, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is a great train that travels through Europe. Others might remember Agatha Christie and her famed detective, Hercule Poirot. Suffice to say, not many will imagine ships sailing across the vast ocean.
As it happens, that’s precisely where the Orient Express is headed next, the open seas.
The new vessel,Silenseas, is a luxury maritime ship modeled after vintage vessels; the Orient Express partnered with Chantiers de l’Atlantique to develop the chassis. On the other hand, its body is inspired heavily by the Golden Age of the French Riviera, as seen in its grand sweeping masts and sails that have since been absent in newer, more technologically advanced cruise ships.
That’s not to say that Silenseas is not technically-enhanced; it is. It just also happens to be able to capture the old-timey whimsical ways of ship designs from yesteryear.
Silenseas is 721 feet long with 54 suites on board, and houses two swimming pools, two restaurants, a speakeasy, an Amphitheatre-Cabaret, a recording studio, a spa, and much more. The luxury hospitality company promises to deliver the same opulence to future sea-faring travelers as its train passengers.
The vessel has an over 16,000 square feet ‘SolidSail’ mast system that will aid it in getting to and from its destinations. This is boosted by a secondary hybrid propulsion system that runs on liquified gas.
The Orient Express expects Silenseas to hit the open waters sometime in 2026.