Luxury operator Silversea's new flagship Silver Spirit was christened at Terminal 25 in Port Everglades on 21 January by Silvia Lefebvre D'Ovidio, sister of the company's Chairman and owner.

This followed her delivery by Fincantieri in Ancona on 16 December and after completing her maiden voyage between Barcelona and Lisbon and a transatlantic crossing to Florida.

The ship then sailed on a 91-day Grand Voyage around South America, which included a three-day call at Rio de Janeiro during Carnival, and on completion had visited 45 ports in over 20 countries.

On 23 April Silver Spirit leaves New York for a repositioning cruise to the Mediterranean for the summer via Southampton.

Silver Spirit is Silversea's fifth and largest ship at 36,000gt, 195m in length and with a cruising speed of 20.3 knots. She accommodates 540 passengers in 270 suites and has a crew of 378.