Transcend Cruises marked a construction milestone with a keel-laying ceremony for its first ship held on February 4 at Den Breejen Shipyard in Orsova, Romania.
Attending the ceremony were Transcend Cruises executives Hans Rood (CEO), Matthew Shollar (chief visionary officer), Kimberly Daley (chief revenue officer) and Carmen Mladenovic (ship operations manager), along with board member Gregg Marston. Also present were Wouter Henstra (CCO, Den Breejen Shipyard), Edwin Diepeveen (director of operations, RensenDriessen) and Thomas de Bree (CFO, RensenDriessen).
The ceremony included remarks from Transcend Cruises leadership, a hull viewing and a traditional coin-laying ritual. A custom coin was designed to mark the company’s first ship for group and private event cruises on European rivers. One side features the ship’s image with the phrases “Group Travel. Redefined” and “Building the Future,” while the other displays Transcend’s symbol and the ceremony date.
“After years of planning and design by our Transcend team alongside our partners from Den Breejen Shipyard and RensenDriessen, it is truly thrilling to see our vision come to life and for us to get even closer to delivery,” said Hans Rood. “What we are creating is truly ground-breaking in the group travel space and our dedicated team looks forward to the next construction phase when the completed hull is brought to Den Breejen’s shipyard in the Netherlands this summer for the final outfitting and commissioning phases before we launch next year.”
After the ceremony, attendees enjoyed a tour of the shipyard. The ship will move up the Danube in the summer to complete the interior construction at Den Breejen’s shipyard in the Netherlands.
“The keel laying of Transcend Cruises’ new vessel marks the beginning of an exciting journey. This ship embodies innovation, luxury, and sustainability—crafted with precision and passion by our dedicated team. We are honored to partner with Transcend Cruises in bringing their vision to life and look forward to seeing this vessel set sail on unforgettable voyages,” said Henstra.
