OREANDA-NEWS. September 16, 2015. Today, the award-winning, small ship cruise line Seabourn celebrated the keel laying ceremony of its new ultra-luxury ship, Seabourn Encore, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. Set to launch in late 2016, today's ceremony is the latest in a series of recent milestones and announcements made by Seabourn as the project continues to move forward.

The ceremony was attended, among others, by Holland America Group Executive Vice President Fleet Operations Keith Taylor and Antonio Quintano, director of Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard. Seabourn Encore is the first of two ultra-luxury cruise ships that Fincantieri will build for Seabourn over the next three years.

"Set to debut as the most modern and acclaimed ship in the ultra-luxury segment, the keel laying of Seabourn Encore represents another pivotal stage in the evolution of small-ship cruising," said Seabourn President Richard Meadows. "This is an important milestone and we look forward to revealing further progress and highlights of Seabourn Encore in the months ahead."

Modeled after the award-winning trio of Seabourn's Odyssey-class ships and designed by leading hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany, the all-suite 41,700-GRT ship will be configured with one additional deck, new expanded public areas and is expected to carry just 600 guests, maintaining Seabourn's high ratio of space per guest. In addition, every suite will feature a private veranda.

To follow the progress of Seabourn Encore, please visit the ship's dedicated microsite: http://encore.seabourn.com.