Scenic Group to add three further newbuild river ships to combined fleet by 2028

Scenic Group has opened bookings for three further newbuild river ships that will be added to its fleet by early 2028.

Two vessels will join the Scenic Cruises fleet - one on the Douro River and one on the Mekong River - while the third vessel will be part of the Emerald Cruises fleet, also set to sail on the Douro River.

Scenic Spirit II will be a sister ship to Scenic Spirit and cruise the Mekong River across Vietnam and Cambodia.

The 68-passenger ship will have ports of call in Phnom Penh, Ankor Ban and the ability to go directly into Ho Chi Minh City.

Scenic Aria will sail on the Douro River in September 2027, joining Scenic Azure.

The 96-passenger ship will operate two itineraries: the 11-day ‘Unforgettable Douro’ and eight-day ‘Delightful Douro’ between March and November.

Emerald Nova will join Emerald Radiance on the Douro River in Portugal in June 2027.

The 112-passenger vessel will sail the 11-day ‘Douro Highlights: Porto, Salamanca & the Wine Valley’ and the eight-day ‘Secrets of the Douro’ between March and November.

The newbuilds are in addition to previously confirmed new river ships Emerald Astra - launching in May 2026 on the Rhine, Main and Danube - and Emerald Lumi, debuting on the Seine in 2027.

For the ocean fleet, new luxury yachts Emerald Kaia, Emerald Raiya and Emerald Zara are due to sail in 2026, 2027 and 2028 respectively, alongside Scenic Ikon in 2028.

The addition of the three newbuild vessels will take the Scenic Cruises river fleet to 15 ships and Emerald Cruises’ river fleet to 11.

Scenic Group chairman and founder Glen Moroney said: “Our commitment to a further three new river ships for the Scenic and Emerald Cruises brands reflects our confidence in the strong demand for our unique approach to luxury cruising.

“With Scenic Ikon in build for delivery in 2028 and five Emerald Cruises yachts and river ships already confirmed, this announcement marks the next phase of our strategic fleet growth.

“By bringing the design and construction of these new river ships under the expertise of our team at MKM Yachts, we can apply the same exacting standards, innovation and design principles that have underpinned Scenic Group’s success for the past 40 years.”