Silversea Cruises’ Silver Spirit completed an impressive feat of nautical engineering this past weekend at the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Italy. The ship’s been officially cut in two, with a 49-foot new midsection moved into place. Now, the intricate process of reconnecting steel, cabling and piping is underway.

She’ll emerge on May 5, 2018 nearly 700 feet longer, with a capacity increase of about 12 percent.

TravelPulse is in Palermo, along with other invited international media, Silversea executives and top-selling agents. A four-day “Lengthening Gala” thus far has included two days at the shipyard.

The ceremonies began with a rousing welcome from the Mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando. Key Silversea and shipyard executives all spoke in turn about various aspects of the project.

It’s notable in a number of respects.

Silver Spirit is the first luxury ship to ever undergo a lengthening process using the advanced technology that makes the job much faster today than in the past. Looking on from the shipyard, it was quite impressive to watch the last plate of steel cut the ship apart. The next day, we saw the 1,000-ton section deftly maneuver into place.

It looked like the smooth parallel park of a 1,000-ton vehicle.

Barbara Muckermann, Silversea’s chief marketing officer, described the project’s genesis.

“Today’s operation really started with the amazing success of the Silver Muse,” she said.

Indeed. The new midsection is part of a $70 million refurbishment designed to bring Silver Spirit in line with the popular Silver Muse. That highly anticipated flagship debuted in the spring of 2017. Guest feedback quickly made it known that they’d like more of the same.

Silver Spirit’s “Muse-ifying” brings new and enhanced public spaces, dining venues, wellness facilities and suites. Colors will take on the muted tones and textures found on Silver Muse.

Dining options aboard Silver Spirit will expand to include Atlantide, Indochine, Spaccanapoli, and Silver Note. They’ll complement the existing venues of Seishin, La Dame, The Grill, and La Terrazza. The latter category will be refurbished, and menus enhanced.

Silver Spirit will also welcome The Arts Café. It’s a multi-faceted casual setting for reading or catching up with fellow passengers over coffee, tea and light bites. On the elegant side, Dolce Vita is a new venue for enjoying cocktails accompanied by live piano music.

Outside, the pool area on Silver Spirit’s sky deck will lengthen. The Zagara spa from Silver Muse is coming to the ship, along with an enhanced fitness center.

The new midsection, and other construction will add 34 luxury suites to Silver Spirit. Among them: a Balsorano Suite, whose title comes from a family name of Silversea’s chairman. It’s decorated with items that tell the personal story of the Italian-born Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio.

Additional upgrades to Silver Spirit’s suites include handmade Savoir mattresses, horsehair toppers, and new HD screens.

Before arriving in Palermo, Silver Spirit docked in Chania, Crete. Silversea donated 11 containers of used furnishings, computers and more to appreciative hospitals, nursing homes and schools on the island.

Silver Spirit re-enters service on May 6, with a seven-day cruise between Civitavecchia (Rome) and Barcelona, calling at Porto Vecchio, Corsica, Livorno, Portofino, Cannes and Marseille.