Spirit of Discovery Completes Ems Conveyance

The new cruise ship for British Saga Cruises, Spirit of Discovery, along with ship building team at Meyer Werft, Germany completed the conveyance from the Papenburg shipyard along the River Ems to the open sea.  

Spirit of Discovery, the only cruise ship being built for the British market this year, left Papenburg at 9pm, before passing through the River Ems sea lock late last night (Sunday 26th May), marking the official start of her journey towards her home port of Dover, England.

Following her departure, Spirit of Discovery was towed along the River Ems, from Papenburg to Emden, passing Friesenbrücke (Weener) and the Jann Berghaus bridge (Leer), before arriving at the River Ems barrier and passing through to arrive at Emden sea lock at 8am.

Spirit of Discovery will now undergo her technical and nautical sea trials until mid June.  Saga will take official delivery of the ship on 20th June before she arrives in Dover prior to her official naming ceremony, on 5th July 2019.  Spirit of Discovery will sail from Dover on her inaugural cruise ‘A British First’, on 10th July.

Nigel Blanks, COO, Saga Cruises said: “Our major milestones for Saga Cruises and Spirit of Discovery are now coming thick and fast and it is amazing to see her complete her conveyance towards the North Sea. This ongoing journey sees everyone at Saga Cruises pioneering the future of British boutique cruising, creating a host of unique, new experiences, both ashore and at sea, and providing a fresh new concept in the global cruising market.  Our thanks go to the impeccable team at Meyer Werft for all their ongoing work on our iconic, stunning new ship.”

Spirit of Discovery will sail with a maximum of 999 guests and with 523 crew around the world, providing a British contemporary classic ambiance, specifically designed to provide the personalised, luxurious cruise experience passengers have said they want.

 The design of Spirit of Discovery  showcases British style and excellence to the highest level, with all the architectural and interior design created by UK-based agency SMC.

Saga’s first purpose-built cruise ship Spirit of Discovery is the first of two new passenger ships being constructed at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

Spirit of Discovery will be named in Dover on July 5, 2019 while her sister ship, Spirit of Adventure, is planned to enter service in 2020. Both ships will host 999 guests and 523 crew members. Spirit of Discovery will be a 58,250 gross tons vessel measuring 774.3ft in length and with a maximum beam of 102.4ft.