Who Owns Silversea?

Silversea was founded in 1994 as a joint venture between V-Ships (the Vlasov Group of Monaco) and Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio, an Italian lawyer and maritime entrepreneur whose family had previously co-owned Sitmar Cruises. The founding concept was the industry's first all-inclusive luxury cruise line: small ships, suite-only accommodation, butler service, and fares covering gratuities, beverages, and port charges.

The line launched with Silver Cloud, followed by Silver Wind, then grew through Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper, Silver Spirit, and the larger Silver Muse. Along the way it pioneered luxury expedition cruising, converting ships for polar and remote itineraries and building a reputation for reaching destinations mainstream luxury lines could not.

The Lefebvre family consolidated ownership over time, with Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio becoming sole owner before the 2018 sale to Royal Caribbean. The $1 billion deal for two-thirds of the company valued Silversea at roughly $1.5 billion and immediately gave Royal Caribbean a credible ultra-luxury position against Carnival's Seabourn and Norwegian's Regent Seven Seas.

Expansion under Royal Caribbean has been the fastest in brand history. Six new ships joined between 2020 and 2024: Silver Origin (Galapagos expedition, 2020), Silver Moon (2020), Silver Dawn (2021), Silver Endeavour (2022, the former Crystal Endeavor bought for the expedition fleet), Silver Nova (2023), and Silver Ray (2024), the Nova-class sister ships with LNG-capable propulsion.

The brand is extending beyond ships: The Cormorant at 55 South, billed as the southernmost hotel on Earth, is planned to open in 2026 at the Antarctic gateway in Puerto Williams, Chile, securing logistics for its expedition itineraries.