The keel-laying ceremony for the newest ship in the Scenic Cruises fleet – the Eclipse II – took place in the Maj 3 shipyard in Rijeka, Croatia on May 12.

Sister ship to the Scenic Eclipse, the Scenic Eclipse II is the second discovery yacht from the Scenic Group in their ocean fleet and is due to launch in the Mediterranean in Q1 of 2023.

The ceremony was attended by Glen Moroney, owner and founder of Scenic Group, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Economy Tomislav Ćorić, and the Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butkovic.

“Two years ago, we launched the most luxurious and technologically advanced polar cruise vessel ever built. The great success achieved by Scenic Eclipse and our guests’ continuous praise reaffirmed our desire to launch a sister ship – Scenic Eclipse II,” said Glen Moroney, owner of Scenic Group.

“We are all familiar with the challenges that currently face the cruising industry. At Scenic Group, we are proud to continue to invest in new ventures that demonstrate our unwavering belief in the future of the industry and indeed, Scenic’s leading position within that,” he added.

According to Scenic’s press release, the Eclipse II is the first of five custom-built vessels to be delivered over the next six years in Croatia.

“The keel-laying ceremony is symbolic for the start of full production and from here on we will proceed at speed for delivery … I would like to thank our partners at the Croatian shipyard as well as the Government of the Republic of Croatia for their ongoing support,” Moroney said.

According to the press release, the new discovery yacht will continue to raise the benchmark within the ultra-luxury expedition cruising market being able to navigate both polar and tropical regions. The Eclipse II will be 168 meters long and 21.5 meters wide and accommodate 228 guests.

With an onboard staff-to-guest ratio of almost 1:1, there will be an abundance of personal space to allow for social distancing if required, Scenic wrote.