Silver Wind

Image: AI-generated.

Silver Wind: cruise and expedition ship

Silver Wind sails for Silversea Cruises, combining ocean cruising with expedition voyages. Silversea gives 1995 as the year of construction; the Antarctic dossier lists separate construction dates: keel laying on August 9, 1990, and delivery on December 15, 1994. According to the operator, the ship received an ice-class reinforced hull in November 2021. The current operator website lists capacity for 274 guests and 239 crew members. On board are four restaurants—The Grill, La Terrazza, The Restaurant, and La Dame—as well as a pool and whirlpools.

Construction and ship specifications

Silver Wind has IMO number 8903935 and sails under the flag of the Bahamas; its port of registry is Nassau. According to its Passenger Ship Safety Certificate, the 2024/25 dossier gives a passenger capacity of 322. For voyages within the Antarctic Treaty area, the limit was 274 passengers carried; Silversea planned for 270 paying guests in the 2024/25 season. These figures refer to different capacity and operating conditions.

The ship has an overall length of 162.6 metres and a moulded hull breadth of 25.8 metres. Silversea lists its gross tonnage as 17,400 on the operator website. Its normal cruising speed is stated as 16 knots, with a maximum speed of 19 knots.

Antarctic voyages from Puerto Williams

For 2024/25, Silversea planned nine Silver Wind voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands. One published example for the upcoming season is a 15-day round trip from Puerto Williams, departing on December 22, 2026, and returning on January 6, 2027. The itinerary includes South Georgia, Elephant Island, the Antarctic Peninsula, and the South Shetland Islands. The operator website lists six days at sea and 14 excursion options; the Drake Passage forms part of the sea route.

Another itinerary is a ten-day round trip from Puerto Williams, scheduled for October 25 to November 4, 2027. It visits Antarctic Sound, the Antarctic Peninsula, and the South Shetland Islands; three days at sea and twelve excursion options are listed. Both examples depart from Puerto Williams in southern Chile, while Nassau remains the port of registry. The different voyage durations offer two seasonal glimpses of the ship’s expedition itineraries.