The Silver Muse towers over docks at the Port of Nanaimo, arriving for a brief stay ahead of beginning its cruise season between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

BIG BOAT

Silver Muse docks in Nanaimo for temporary stay ahead of Alaska cruises

May 2, 2022 | 8:13 AM

NANAIMO — It’s not loaded with passengers but the arrival of a cruise ship in local waters still turned heads over the weekend.

The 213 metre long Silver Muse, owned by Silversea Cruises, arrived in Nanaimo on Sunday, May 1, taking a berth at the Port of Nanaimo for a two week stay to “perform a limited operation maintenance call,” according to the Port.

On board are some crew as they await a trip to Alaska to open their season May 19, shuttling between Seward, Alaska and Vancouver.

The vessel will make trips around the south and western portions of Vancouver Island, to and from Alaska, until September when it will transition over to China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand for the southern hemisphere summer.

The vessel not only carriers nearly 600 passengers, but will also house another 400 crew when fully staffed.

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It weighs 40,791 tonnes.

Seeing the Silver Muse in local waters was a surprise to many over the weekend.

No cruise ships with passengers will come in 2022 and none were booked as of early April for the 2023 season.

Nanaimo Port Authority president Ian Marr previously told NanaimoNewsNOW, trying to revitalize the local cruise industry after two years of global interruptions is extremely challenging.

He said companies are focused on larger routes to get things back going again.

“Trying to create other routes or other things for people to do can be a little tough because they’re trying to bring their revenues back up and get back to an operating condition for their whole industry,” Marr said in April.

The Silver Muse opened Nanaimo’s cruise ship season in 2019.

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