The luxurious Silver Cloud liner, which offers exclusive Antarctic expeditions starting at €14,000, has sailed out of Palumbo Malta Shipyard after undergoing a complex two-month conversion.

The Maltese shipyard was singled out for the job from among top international yards based on its competence, skilled team, state-of-the-art facilities and the ability to execute the Silver Cloud’s overhaul from a standard liner to an ice-class expedition cruise ship within such a short timespan.

“This job has been a clear vote of confidence in Malta and in our team — everyone worked hard to meet the tight deadlines,” Palumbo Group CEO Antonio Palumbo said.

“This is another milestone for the company and an exciting moment that places Malta on the map of cruise liner conversions,” Mr Palumbo added.

The job to convert the Silver Cloud into a liner that can navigate through ice-covered polar waters, involved a team of around 1,000 people working round the clock to deliver the owner’s intensive logistic plan; some eight cranes, as well as Palumbo’s 300-ton mobile crane.

Shipyard general manger Joseph Calleja explained that the job entailed the complete overhaul of the ship’s fin stabiliser, and the installation of a structural ice belt around the vessel that was created from more than 200 tons of steel.

“The job involved converting a cruise liner into a vessel that can withstand the harsh, unforgiving environment of the Antarctic,” he said.

It also included reinstalling the ship’s entire teak to adapt it for intense environments, putting in new windows with heaters, building a new bulbous bow designed to take the impact of the ice, and installing new navigation equipment to indicate icebergs, among others.

The Silver Cloud, which entered into service in 1994 as Silversea’s first liner, is focused on offering an intimate, more personalised style of cruising, catering for no more than 200 guests on its polar cruises.

The liner, which promises to “break the ice between expedition and luxury”, offers five dining options. Its first expedition starts on November 15, leaving from Buenos Aires for the Antarctic.