Silversea launches latest ship from debut port

Silversea held a blessing ceremony for its new ship Silver Endeavour at the town’s Cape Horn Sub-Antarctic Center, a new research centre for environmental philosophy and science, where chief commercial officer Barbara Muckermann thanked local authorities for their assistance in opening up the port to the cruise line.

“This is now the pillar of our Antarctic experience and there is nowhere better to start this journey for Silver Endeavour,” she said. “It has only been made possible by the vision of those here and as we are honoured to be here. This builds on our philosophy of working closely with the places and communities we visit to support their needs.”

Known as a starting point for trips around Cape Horn, Puerto Williams is the southern-most city in the world, sitting on Navarino Island in the Beagle Channel and part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.

Previously, only Chile’s navy used the town’s runway but Silversea’s new arrangement has assured it access to such infrastructure and a more permanent jetty is being created. Other cruise lines use Ushuaia in neighbouring Argentina as their base for Antarctica.

One of the world’s most advanced and luxurious expedition vessels to date, Silver Endeavour’s godmother, Antarctic explorer, author and climate scientist Felicity Aston, was also present for the blessing in Puerto Williams.

“As the world faces ever more problems, exploration has never been as important as it is today and Silver Endeavour allows more people to become explorers themselves and return with new perspectives,” Aston said. 

Silversea also chose to bolster its investment in the community of Puerto Williams by sponsoring a physical education integration programme for disabled children at the Puerto Williams School.

“An important gateway to Antarctica, Puerto Williams is a key destination for Silversea, and it is always our goal to positively impact the local communities we visit,” said Conrad Combrink, Silversea’s senior vice president of expeditions, destination and itinerary management. “Building this facility is just the first step in our commitment to supporting the social needs of Puerto Williams.

“As the only cruise line to be operating out of Puerto Williams, providing a uniquely seamless journey to Antarctica for our guests, we are working hand-in-hand with local leaders and grassroots operators to not only showcase Puerto Williams in the most authentic way possible to our guests, but also to care for the needs of the community.

Silversea has also donated four Zodiacs to the Cedena Nautical School in Puerto Williams, a non-profit organisation dedicated to training and educating children and young people in nautical sports and a first step for many locals to learn the basic skills needed for a career in the expedition industry.

To join the blessing ceremony in Puerto Williams and mark the launch of the ship, Silversea flew 100 travel advisors and other partners from Santiago using a special flight which also served to demonstrate the line’s exclusive Antarctica Bridge service.

Silversea is the only ultra-luxury cruise line to offer flights to and from Antarctica, cutting out the notorious “Drake Shake”, a crossing of Drake Passage that can take up to two days and is notoriously choppy.

Silversea’s Antarctica Bridge service will ordinarily fly from Punta Arenas (Chile)-King George Island (Antarctica) using a privately chartered BAE146 with Antarctic Airways. The aircraft is customised with less seating than a normal flight, reducing this from 90 passengers to 75, and operating a “European business class” format, with the middle seat on one side not used.

Silversea has also developed an inflight app for passengers, offering them access to films, TV, documentaries and useful content during the flights to and from King George Island, where they would start their cruise.

The Antarctica Bridge service will only be available with cruises on Silver Endeavour, whose inaugural season will have voyages ranging from five to 20 days: Silversea’s other expedition ships sail to/from Puerto Williams across Drake Passage.