CroisiEurope has announced that the construction of a third paddlewheel ship – the MS Elbe Princesse II – has officially begun at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire.

Following a four-month design phase, the steel cutting ceremony was held in Saint-Nazaire on December 8.

The company is building the Elbe Princesse II in order to increase it’s offering between Berlin and Prague on the Elbe and Vltava rivers.

The ship will measure 101 metres long and 10.5 metres wide. Taking into consideration the navigational limitations of these rivers, the ship has a shallow hull draft, a low air draft and a ballasting system. Powered by paddlewheels, its cruising speed will reach between 15 and 16 kilometres per hour.

The ship’s design will be very similar to its sister ship, the Elbe Princesse, with open spaces and large picture windows.

The ship will accommodate 90 guests in 45 outward-facing cabins of more than 14m2 with French balconies on the upper deck. There will also be a 110m2 restaurant, a 145m2 panoramic lounge at the stern, a patio and a 1000m2 sun deck.

The Elbe Princesse II is scheduled for delivery in February 2018. Like the Elbe Princesse, this new ship will cruise between Berlin and Prague with visits to Potsdam, the gardens at Sanssouci Palace, Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Meissen and Litomerice.
For reservations and further information call CroisiEurope on 020 8328 1281 or visit www.croisieurope.co.uk