By
Sean Dudley |
CroisiEurope has revealed that the construction of a third paddlewheel ship – the MS Elbe Princesse II – has commenced.
The French river cruise operator held a steel cutting ceremony on 8 December 2016 at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, following a four-month design phase.
The ship will measure 101m long and 10.5m wide, and has a shallow hull draft, a low air draft, and a ballasting system.
The Elbe Princesse II will be similar in design to its sister ship, the Elbe Princesse, and will have space for 90 guests in 45 outward-facing cabins.
Other features include a 110m2 restaurant, a 145m2 panoramic lounge at the stern, a patio and a 1000m2 sun deck.
The Elbe Princesse II follows on from CroisiEurope’s successful launches of Loire Princesse and the Elbe Princesse in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
The new vessel will boost CroisiEurope’s offering between Berlin, Germany, and Prague, Czech Republic, on the Elbe and Vltava rivers.
The Elbe Princesse II is scheduled for delivery in February 2018.