Marine

Orient Express to offer luxury cruises on "world's largest sailing ship"

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The Orient Express Silenseas will be propelled by both rigid sails and a liquefied natural gas engine
Orient Express
Chantiers de l’Atlantique claims to have already tested a prototype of the SolidSail system
Orient Express
The Orient Express Silenseas will be propelled by both rigid sails and a liquefied natural gas engine
Orient Express

While luxury travel firm Orient Express is best known for its train excursions, it's now branching out into cruises … in a big way. The company has just unveiled what will reportedly be the world's largest sailing ship, the Orient Express Silenseas.

The hybrid sailing yacht is the product of a partnership between two French firms – Orient Express' parent company Accor, and the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipbuilding company. It's scheduled to enter service in 2026.

Measuring 220 meters long (722 ft), the Orient Express Silenseas will utilize three rigid SolidSail sails. Each one will have a surface area of 1,500 sq m (16,146 sq ft), and will be mounted on its own 100-m (328-ft)-tall tilting mast. The idea is that when weather conditions are suitable, these sails will provide 100% of the vessel's propulsion.

When the sails aren't quite enough on their own, a liquefied natural gas engine will kick in to make up the difference. Orient Express says that it plans on switching to green hydrogen, once the technology is approved for ocean passenger ships.

Chantiers de l’Atlantique claims to have already tested a prototype of the SolidSail system
Orient Express

As far as accommodations go, the Silenseas will offer 54 suites, almost all of which will measure an average of 70 sq m (753 sq ft). The one big exception is the 1,415-sq-m (15,231-sq-ft) Presidential Suite, which will include a 530-sq-m (5,705-sq-ft) private terrace.

Amongst the onboard attractions will be two swimming pools (including a lap pool), two restaurants, a speakeasy-type bar, an amphitheater-cabaret with a private recording studio, and a spa. Like most cruise ships, it will also stop in at various ports, where passengers can disembark for land-based excursions.

That being said, it's not immediately clear where the Silenseas will operate, although Orient Express does state that the vessel was "inspired by the golden age of the French Riviera." It should also have a sister ship, as Chantiers de l’Atlantique reportedly has "a signed letter of intent to order two ships."

Source: Orient Express

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7 comments
HoppyHopkins
Move over "Preussen" and "Great Eastern"
DavidB
A suite with a *terrace* that (on its own) is nearly three times the size of my comfortable 3-bedroom home?

Yeah, I’m not going to be able to afford a trip on this ship.
martinwinlow
Not sure how posh guests will react to a 'gunnels-under' moment - or even, for that matter, whooshing along under sail with the deck at a steady 10 degrees awonk... A catamaran design make make more sense...
BlueOak
“ The company has just unveiled what will reportedly be the world's largest sailing ship, the Orient Express Silenseas.”

Except, is it actually “unveiled” when the ship does not actually exist? “Unveiled” *plans* and/or *renderings* for a new ship, perhaps.

And it would appear those sails ring a bit hollow (and virtue-signaling) if all those on board luxuries, air conditioning, etc… still require generators running all the time to power them.
jerryd
The sails are neither solid or rigid. And really the wrong kind of boat for this, a cat or trimaran would be far better, 2x more room in 30% less length.
And I'd go with solid foils/sails as they can automatically point into the wind in a bad storm. And automatically, dynamically adjust themselves to make the most power when needed, no computer needed.
jerryd
Blue oak, such a ship when sailing can generate power with the prop to run the ship's E load. It would also have a rather large battery pack to run house and under e power.
The NG, H,2 dumb choices when synfuels are better by a large amount and just used to keep the batteries from getting too low.
ljaques
@DavidB Yeah, they'll probably allow charters at $2-5,000,000 a pop for all 54 suites. It very definitely appears to be a Ritchie RichRich-only party boat.
@martinwinlow "gunnel" is the pronunciation while "gunwale" is the spelling, and I doubt the 3 small sails could take that huge, heavily-ballasted beast into a deep heel as you suggest. But if it could, there would be rich people in the water asking "How could this happen to ME?"
I like OE's creativity in forming fake small yachts under the sails for a pseudo-cruise on a sloop.