2023-10-13 14:23:23
More than 200 meters in length, 54 suites, two swimming pools, restaurants… the most luxurious sailboat in the world is beginning to take shape at the French shipyard Chantiers de Atlantique and will have propulsion ‘made in Euskadi’. Ingeteam has been selected to manufacture five electric propulsion motors for the colossus Orient Express Silenseas, the ship that will emulate the mythical train that covered the Paris-Istanbul route. A super-luxury sailboat whose manufacturing could cost around a billion dollars.
The French group Accor, a world leader in the tourism sector, is behind this project, whose manufacturing should be ready by spring 2026. Orient Express Silenseas will be the largest sailboat in the world, but also the reference liner for cruises. luxury from an environmental point of view. Orient Express Silenseas will depart in 2026 and will be propelled by its sails, depending on weather conditions, with a revolutionary technological design developed by Chantiers de lÁtlantique known as SolidSail: three rigid sails of 1,500 meters of surface each, which will be hoisted on a platform with three tilting masts more than 100 meters high, capable of guaranteeing up to 100% propulsion in suitable weather conditions.
This hybrid formula will combine wind power with a next-generation liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine, with plans to use green hydrogen once the technology is approved for offshore passenger ships, launching a new vision that is greener and sustainable maritime travel.
The Orient Express Silenseas will have 54 suites with an average area of 70 square meters, including a presidential suite of 900 square meters. Two swimming pools, two restaurants and a ‘clandestine’ bar. “This unique ship will celebrate the art of travel the Orient Express style: luxury, absolute comfort and dreams,” explains the company.
Will there be two megasailboats?
The investment in a boat of this size and latest technology has not been made public at the moment, although some media suggest that as its size is double the yacht that Jeff Bezos had built, the famous ‘Koru’, this sailboat will also double its size. cost. And Bezos invested 500 million dollars in his ship…
Everything also indicates, based on the information sent by Ingeteam about the order placed, that it will not be a single sailboat and that two will ultimately be built. The Basque firm has pointed out that “the company will design and manufacture the converters and motors that will propel two ships that will emulate the famous Orient Express train.”
Ingeteam will supply a total of 5 motors and 5 converters for the propulsion systems. Specifically, these are the two engines that will drive the main propulsion plus the three transverse propulsion engines, along with the frequency converters for all of them, providing maximum comfort on board thanks to their low vibrations and noise. It will also develop two propulsion remote controls, which will enable maximum propulsion management and efficiency through SolidSail technology.
The converters will include ground connection to the port so that while the sailboats are docked they can be connected to the land electrical grid. In this way it will not have to keep its auxiliary combustion engines running to power the cruise services, thus contributing to the reduction of nitrogen, sulfur and carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
Wärtsilä Marine Power has also announced that it will supply its new Wärtsilä 25D dual engine for this supersailboat.
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