Orient Express, a subsidiary of the Accor hotel group responsible for promoting the heritage of the famous Paris-Istanbul train, will place an order with Chantiers de l’Atlantique for two sailing ships that can carry up to 120 wealthy cruise passengers, its vice president said. President Guillaume de Saint-Lager. Orient Express has signed a letter of intent to purchase two ships, the first to be delivered “in March 2026” and the second “one year later,” he said, declining to disclose details of the financial amounts involved.
“We have completely reworked” and adapted to “ultra-luxury” the concept of Silenseas, a large cruising sailboat designed by the Chantiers de l’Atlantique de Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), he stresses. “In the world of cruises, she will be the most ecological ship”, assures Guillaume de Saint Lager.
The future hybrid of three masts, quieter and less polluting, will work with LNG (liquefied natural gas) engines and thanks to 4,500 m2 of innovative sails, “the largest in the world”, fixed on 100 m high masts, to that “in suitable weather conditions, you can have up to 100% of the ship’s propulsion with its sails,” he describes.
“The Mediterranean in summer and the Caribbean in winter”
Marketed under the name “Orient Express Silenseas”, this 220 m long ship will offer 54 suites spread over four decks, which will be able to accommodate up to 120 people, explains the manager. The architect Maxime d’Angeac was responsible for the interior layout and decoration, following a “Mediterranean Art Deco” style, and the Nantes-based naval architecture studio Stirling Design International for the exterior design.
Guillaume de Saint Lager is evasive about the future destinations of the two commissioned ships, limiting himself to evoking “the Mediterranean in summer and the Caribbean in winter.” Much smaller than the big cruise ships, they will be able to venture into prestigious ports where they are not necessarily welcome, according to him.
“Anything that is a luxurious and sustainable means of transport interests us,” he said, wanting to make Orient Express “a travel brand.” His company, heir to the Compagnie internationale des wagons-lits, wants to put the mythical Orient Express train back on European rails in early 2025. He wants to “reinvent the myth” with vintage cars reworked by Maxime d’Angeac. He is also due to launch “Orient Express La Dolce Vita”, another luxury train that will travel through Italy from spring 2024, and open two hotels in Rome and Venice. There will be “possible combinations” in this universe of luxury, says Guillaume de Saint Lager.
Source: BFM TV
