140 years after the launch of its first luxury train, the Orient Express legend continues with the unveiling of the world's largest sailing ship, Orient Express Silenseas.
This ambitious undertaking is the result of a unique partnership between Accor (the owners of the Orient Express) and Chantiers de l'Atlantique, a globally leading shipbuilding company.
In 1883, when launching his now legendary train, Georges Nagelmackers was inspired by his experience on the grand transatlantic ships. Now we've come full circle.
The Orient Express Silenseas will echo the glorious Golden Age of the French Riviera, when writers, artists, painters, princesses and movie stars spent time between Monte-Carlo, the beaches of Saint-Tropez, Cap d'Antibes, and Cannes.
A 220-meter-long ocean treasure with a tonnage of 22,300 UMS, Orient Express Silenseas will feature 54 Suites measuring on average 70-square-meters, including a monumental 1,415-square-meter Presidential Suite (including a 530-square-meter private terrace), two swimming pools including a lap pool, two restaurants and a speakeasy bar.
Accor claims the singular cruise ship will 'celebrate the Art of Travel à la Orient Express: the quintessence of luxury, absolute comfort and dreams'.
This unique travel experience will feature spa treatments, meditation sessions and stopover explorations to discover cultural treasures that allow guests to completely unplug from reality and stop time.
Capitalizing on the experience of experts in ocean racing, the Orient Express Silenseas will sail with a revolutionary technological design known as 'SolidSail': three rigid sails with a surface area of 1,500 meters each will be hoisted on a balestron rig, with three tilting masts reaching more than 100 meters high, able to ensure up to 100-percent of the propulsion in suitable weather conditions. This hybrid propulsion formula will combine wind power with a state-of-the-art engine running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and plans to use green hydrogen once the technology is approved for ocean passenger ships, launching a new, more environmentally friendly vision of sea travel.
This extraordinary sailing yacht of the future will set sail in 2026.
