The new Orient Express Corinthian has been named at the Joubert graving dock in Saint-Nazaire.

The christening ceremony for what is said to be the world’s largest sailing yacht was celebrated on April 29, 2026, together with Chantiers de l’Atlantique, the cruise line said in a press release.

On May 2, 2026, the ship will set sail for the French Riviera ahead of her inaugural Mediterranean season.

“For more than one hundred and sixty years, Chantiers de l’Atlantique has been building ships that define their era. Orient Express Corinthian is the latest proof of this: 720 feet, 15,000 tons carried by the wind, three SolidSail sails… the fruit of ten years of research and development,” said Laurent Castaing, chief executive officer of Chantiers de l’Atlantique.

“It is a concrete, technical response to the decarbonization challenges facing maritime transport. But above all, it is the work of men and women of exceptional dedication and passion. To them I owe this humble pride. And I thank Orient Express for the trust they placed in us from the very first day of this extraordinary project.”

From May to October 2026, the ship will sail the Mediterranean and the Adriatic, before crossing the Atlantic in autumn for a winter in the Caribbean.

In 2027, she will sail itineraries in the eastern Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

The 15,000-ton, 720-foot vessel, which is said to be the first cruise ship equipped with the SolidSail wind propulsion system, completed sea trials earlier this year.

It has 54 suites, ranging from 45 to 230 m2, distributed across four decks.

The cruise line added that her sister ship, the Orient Express Olympian, is currently being fitted out at the Penhoët quay in Saint-Nazaire following her launch on April 17.