RIVIERA Afloat
Oceania Cruises’ RIVIERA was floated out of her construction dock and maneuvered to a fitting-out berth at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard in Italy on Saturday, July 16.
“The float out of a ship is a beautiful occasion which marks the beginning of her life and we are eagerly anticipating the day next spring that we can unveil her to the world,” stated Frank Del Rio, Chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings, parent company of Oceania Cruises.
The Norwegian design team, Y&S of Oslo, will now focus on fitting out and finishing RIVIERA’s interiors. RIVIERA will be the virtual twin of Oceania’s MARINA, which was launched to much acclaim earlier this year.
When completed, RIVIERA will offer 625 elegantly-appointed and custom-crafted accommodations that are among the largest at sea, ranging from 174 to a palatial 2,000+ square feet. Her top suites will be a study in chic, residential elegance and feature furnishings from Ralph Lauren Home and designs by Dakota Jackson of New York City and S.B. Long Interiors of Greenwich, CT. The ship will also feature a Lalique-designed grand lobby, 10 dining venues and numerous bars and lounges. Facilities will include a full-service Canyon Ranch SpaClub and fitness center, an innovative Bon Appétit Culinary Center, swimming pool and hot tubs.
In her inaugural year, Riviera will cruise the Mediterranean and then cross the Atlantic where she will spend the winter cruising the yacht harbors of the Caribbean.
Visit www.OceaniaCruises.com
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Pity that she will likely be the last cruise ship to be built at this famous yard. The Sestri yard is due for closure, together with the Castellammare di Stabia yard near Naples. Apart from the RIVIERA, the sestri yard is building an oiler for the Indian navy, but after that, it’s curtains for the former Ansaldo yard.
That is a great shame. Add to those closures the closing of the great Odense shipyard in Denmark next year. How much longer for the rest of the shipyards in Europe in the face of Korean and Chinese competition?
Considering Korean and Chinese shipyards have built a total of zero cruise ships, I think European shipyards still have a fighting chance.