Seabourn has held the steel cutting ceremony for its first purpose-built expedition ship.

The event – which took place in Italy and was attended by cruise line representatives and shipyard T. Mariotti MD Marco Ghiglione – marks the start of the construction of Seabourn Venture. The ship is scheduled to launch in June 2021. It will be joined by a sister in May 2022.

“It’s an exciting time at Seabourn and the cutting of the first steel means we are officially underway in making our first expedition ship come together,” said Seabourn president Richard Meadows.

“We’re looking forward to watching raw steel transformed into a beautiful vessel. With Adam Tihany’s extraordinary design vision and Mariotti’s excellent and meticulous craftsmanship, Seabourn Venture will undoubtedly be a groundbreaking ship in ultra-luxury expedition travel.”

Ghiglione added: “The steel cutting ceremony marks an important milestone in the process of shipbuilding, one that ship builder and cruise companies hardly forget.

“We are very excited about this new endeavour that will result in Seabourn’s very first expedition ship. This project marks another milestone in our longstanding relationship with Seabourn, a partnership that has always been linked to crucial developments in the cruise line’s strategy.”

Both ships will include custom-built submarines and 132 luxurious oceanfront veranda suites, as well as expedition teams consisting of wilderness experts, scientists, historians and naturalists. Seabourn Venture will also feature 24 zodiacs.

The ship will sail to destinations in the Arctic and Antarctica, the Amazon, Caribbean, and Central and South America, among others.

Seabourn recently announced a range of summer offers on select 2019-2020 worldwide voyages.