The Silver Wind has marked its 30th year of service for Silversea Cruises after being delivered by the T. Mariotti shipyard in February 1995.
As a sister to the 1994-built Silver Cloud, the 254-guest ship was the second to enter service for the luxury brand.
With a design highlighted by a large number of balcony cabins, the Silver Wind spent its inaugural season offering a mix of itineraries in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Then one of the largest luxury ships in service, the 16,800-ton vessel repositioned to North America in the fall, kicking off a series of cruises in Canada and New England.
Completing its inaugural season, the Silver Wind offered itineraries to the Caribbean and the Amazon during the 1995-96 winter season.
After 20 years of service, the ship underwent a significant refurbishment project that started in 2018 with the modernization of its public areas and staterooms.
The vessel then underwent a second major refit in 2021 to be transformed into an ice-class expedition ship.
In addition to an ice-strengthened hull, the vessel debuted new ice-detector sonars and was then equipped with 24 zodiacs and 14 kayaks.
Other additions included a new advanced wastewater treatment plant, new food waste treatment facilities and new fuel-saving boilers.
According to Silversea, the Silver Wind also got a lot of enhancements that enabled it to offer immersive expedition cruising in both polar and tropical areas.
These included a guest capacity reduction and the addition of 28 expedition experts to the ship’s team, as well as a mudroom and a heated swimming pool.
In 2025, the Silver Wind offers ten- to 18-night expeditions to Antarctica and South Georgia before exploring the coast of Africa.
In May, the vessel arrives in Northern Europe for itineraries to the British Isles, Iceland, Scandinavia and the Baltic.
The ship then returns to Antarctica in early October for another season in the region, offering expeditions departing from Puerto Williams as well as King George Island.