At the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard, the first block ceremony for the Orient Express Olympian, the second sailing yacht of Orient Express Sailing Yachts, took place. True to maritime tradition, coins were placed inside.
The maneuver was carried out using one of the shipyard’s gantry cranes, which placed the first of the 17 sections that will form the yacht’s steel hull onto keel blocks. The first steel plate had been cut 10 months prior.
This is a symbolic milestone in the construction of this vessel which, together with the Orient Express Corinthian, will become the world’s largest sailing yacht, with a length of 220 meters.
The vessel will incorporate the SolidSail system, consisting of three free-standing and tilting masts and a total of 4,500 square meters of rigid sail, allowing, depending on conditions, for 100% wind propulsion.
The Orient Express Corinthian is scheduled to undergo sea trials in December, before its launch and inaugural season in the Mediterranean in May.
