At the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire France, on Wednesday, ceremonial coins were welded in Celebrity’s new ship, the Edge Series Celebrity Ascent.
The coins were placed on a foundational part of the ship’s keel by Jason Liberty, the President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group and the General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Laurent Castaing.
Coin Ceremony for Celebrity Ascent
A coin ceremony has just occurred, August 24, 2022, celebrating a construction milestone for the anticipated Celebrity Ascent, the fourth ship in Celebrity Cruises’ Edge Series.
As the ceremonial coins were welded to a massive steel docking block on the formation of the ship’s keel, the ship kept to the tradition of coin laying, meant to bless and bestow good fortune on the ship.
During the maritime ceremony Jason Liberty (President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Celebrity Cruises) and Laurent Castaing (General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique) honorably placed the coins, marking the beginning of the ship’s construction.
President Jason Liberty stated, “Today, we celebrate the incredible Celebrity Ascent, a ship name that fittingly represents the climb, the rise and, ultimately, the upward trajectory of both Celebrity Cruises and the Royal Caribbean Group.”
“It’s exciting to have our entire fleet back in the water, again, and moments like this reaffirm our bright future. We are grateful to all who have and will continue to lend their creativity and craftsmanship to this ship, as we work together to reach new heights in our industry,” he added.
Read Also: 10 Must-Know Things About the Celebrity Apex Cruise Ship
The date of the ceremony was welded onto one of the coins, along with the ship’s name (Celebrity Ascent), “M34”, and the shipyard location, Saint-Nazaire.
Celebrity Cruises’ President and CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said, “Bringing another magnificent Celebrity Edge Series ship to life is absolutely thrilling for me and another wonderFULL development for our guests.”
“While exploring the wonders of the world, our guests will be surrounded by the wonders of our Celebrity world – forward-thinking design, culinary excellence, thoughtful well-being experiences, and our uniquely intuitive service. Celebrity Ascent will be the epitome of a relaxed luxury resort at sea,” she added.
As one of the world leaders of highly complex ships and offshore installations, Chantiers de l’Atlantique builds some of the largest passenger ships in the world and designs and manufactures innovative, complex civil and military naval ships.
Chantiers de l’Atlantique’s Laurent Castaing stated, “This new ship will be another great success in the continuity of the previous ships of the Celebrity Class built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.”
“We know our respective teams have been giving each other enough proofs of mutual confidence so that they can work smoothly on this new project.”
Celebrity Ascent
As the fourth ship in the Edge Series, Celebrity Ascent will begin her inaugural Caribbean season from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, setting sail on her maiden voyage on December 3, 2023.
The 140,600 gross ton ship, with a 3,260-guest capacity, will sail her inaugural voyage to ports including Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and Puerto Plata.
Read Also: Steel Cut as Construction Begins on Celebrity Ascent
With sister ships Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex, and Celebrity Beyond, the newest ship to the series will feature 17 decks tall and 20 meters longer than the original Celebrity Edge, with more space and more luxury onboard.
She will sail alternating seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, departing from Celebrity Cruises’ Port Everglades Terminal 25, designed specifically for Edge-class ships.
