Four Seasons has celebrated the start of construction on Four Seasons I, due to embark on its inaugural season in January 2026.
It marked the occasion with a keel-laying ceremony, hosted in partnership with luxury yachting company Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona, Italy, on Tuesday (July 9).
The maritime tradition of laying the keel of a ship is the formal recognition of the start of a ship’s construction. The ceremony includes the welding of specially chosen coins to the bottom of the ship as a symbol of good luck and to bless the vessel.
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Alejandro Reynal, president and chief executive at Four Seasons, said the ceremony marks “a key milestone in the construction of our inaugural yacht”.
Nadim Ashi, owner and executive chair of Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings – joint owner/operator of Four Seasons Yachts – added: “Today’s momentum and excitement will undoubtedly continue through the remainder of the construction process, and we pay homage to all of the artisans creating this magnificent Four Seasons Yacht.”
The all-suite yacht will initially offer winter and spring itineraries in the Caribbean, followed by Mediterranean cruises in the summer season.
Features include the Funnel Suite’s floor-to-ceiling wraparound curved glass window modules, made up of the largest contiguous piece of glass at sea.
Executives at ceremony, from left: Josh Leibowitz (Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings), Donald Mason (Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings), Nadim Ashi (Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings), His Excellency Sheikh Sultan J. Al-Thani; Gilberto Tobaldi (Fincantieri), Bart Carnahan (Four Seasons), Daniele Fanara (Fincantieri), Prosper Assouline (Four Seasons Yachts), Luigi Matarazzo (Fincantieri) and John (Yiannis) Polimenakos, (Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings).
Picture credit: Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd.