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.

The purpose-built expedition ship was originally part of Crystal Cruises, but barely had chance to sail before that brand collapsed in the pandemic, leading to the ship’s purchase by Silversea in July.

Silver Endeavour will welcome its first commercial guests in Antarctica from Monday, 21 November, sailing from King George Island. It is currently the line’s fifth expedition ship, however, Silver Explorer is to leave the fleet imminently.

Built to PC6 Class polar specifications, all-suite Silver Endeavour carries 200 passengers, with a crew-to-guest ratio of approximately 1-to-1. Activities are carried out via 16 Zodiacs, 12 kayaks and cutting-edge exploration technology such as the remote camera system, capable of capturing high-quality images at up to 600 metres away and 300 metres down with footage then broadcast to in-suite TVs and public screens.

Spaces on board the ship include the Mud Room for guests to leave their expedition equipment such as specially designed boots and parka (included for clients); The Study, to help guests get to grips with the remote environments they’re experiencing; Explorer Lounge with huge screens for lectures and presentations; a small spa; Arts Café; La Dame for fine dining; and the main restaurant.

“You used to have to sacrifice comfort to go on an expedition cruise, but that is not the case here,” said Combrink. “We admired Endeavour from afar and when we knew she had become available, we were relentless in our pursuit to secure her when we had an opportunity. But beauty is only skin deep: this is about what goes on behind the scenes too – Silver Endeavour is also technically very advanced. She has an incredible hull design for smooth speed; dynamic positioning system to help in these fragile locations; and unprecedented manoeuvaribility.”

The ship was built to hold submarines and a helicopter under Crystal’s plans, but Silversea has chosen not to take on those “toys” and instead plans to create 10 additional suites and crew accommodation by utilising the large space occupied by the helipad, moving the medical centre, and also what is currently space for the casino.

That work will happen in dry dock at the end of the Antarctic season and an additional four Zodiacs will also be added.

Muckermann acknowledged that the ship’s design was not Silversea’s usual “whispered luxury” in its design, but the décor will stay as it is for the time being.

Silversea has also launched Silver Endeavour’s 2024/2025 voyages with the ship set to operate 27 voyages, covering more than 125 destinations across Antarctica, the Arctic, the British Isles, and Iceland between April 2024 and February 2025.

Starting with the British Isles and Iceland, there will be two new 14-day itineraries that will unlock the rugged coastlines, wildlife-rich islands, fascinating cultures, and historic sites of interest between London (Greenwich) and Edinburgh (Leith). Silver Endeavour will then to Iceland via Guernsey, the Isles of Scilly, the Isle of Man, the Hebrides, and the Isle of Skye, before venturing on to the Arctic from June 2024, offering a variety of sailings between 10 and 16 days in length.

Standout experiences of Silver Endeavour’s 2024 Arctic voyages include calls to Hudson Bay and Baffin Island; a voyage to experience the best of the Northwest Passage in just 10 days; a journey to Greenland’s Disko Bay, including an exploration of the Unesco-listed Ilulissat Icefjord; and an exploration of the Northeast Greenland National Park, largest national park in the world. “That will be the furthest north we have ever been,” said Combrink, adding that charter flights to the Arctic were also now an option.

Silver Endeavour will then return to Antarctica from 29 October 2024, undertaking 14 voyages to the White Continent, ranging from six to 21 days.