THE NETHERLANDS — Construction is underway on the very first branded ship for Transcend Cruises.

The charter-only river cruise company marked the first steel-cutting with a ceremony in Den Breejen Shipyard in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands. The hull is currently under construction in Orsova, Romania.

The ship will be Transcend Cruises’ first purpose-built vessel for the B2B group market. For the past year and a half Transcend has been serving the charter market with the MS Advance.

The yet-to-be named ship will set sail on the Rhine for the 2026 season.

Earlier this year Travelweek spoke with Transcend’s Jackie Coulson about the company’s product and how Transcend working with travel advisors. As Coulson noted, “our client is the charterer and we will work with them to create a 100% customized event for their guest. Think wedding groups, alumni groups, meetings in motion, incentive trips, multi- generational trips, celebrations and more.”

Jackie Coulson, North America Sales for Transcend Cruises, is getting the word out at trade events in Canada

Coulson added that she has been connecting with Canadian travel agents at her coffee chats and training sessions, with many events under her belt and more on the way in the coming months.

CUSTOMIZABLE SPACE FOR 30 – 120 PASSENGERS

The steel-cutting ceremony was attended by company and partner representatives including Transcend’s CEO Hans Rood along with Wouter Henstra, CCO, Den Breejen Shipyard and Helena Sawelin, Partner & Design/Sustainability Director, Tillberg Design of Sweden.

Rood said the milestone represented a major step forward in the development of the company and its fleet of purpose-built river ships.

Transcend Cruises’ 135-metre ships will offer customized spaces and services designed exclusively for the group market, one that will redefine the luxury group experience, according to Rood.

Onboard, five separate venues with space for all 120 guests include ‘The Forum,’ a two-storey amphitheatre for group programs such as leadership talks, destination expert-led presentations, concerts and performances. Meanwhile ‘The Studio’ venue is built specifically for the client, located on deck one next to their dedicated office space and three staff cabins. The venue can accommodate meetings of any size and format, with 1,500 square feet of open, configurable space as well as full A/V capabilities.

Up to 120 guests will be accommodated in identical, oversized staterooms that convert in pairs to suites, allowing the charterer to flex the offering for between 30 to 120 attendees.

Transcend’s ships will also feature hybrid propulsion with stage five, low-emissions engines.

“With the steel cutting, we are thrilled to be entering this exciting construction phase,” said Rood.  “We’ve benefited from serving the charter market with our MS Advance over the past 18 months, proving that our concept is right on target for our new builds from all sectors of the group market including MICE, tour operators, private events, direct corporations, affinity groups and from leisure and corporate agencies. We have strong booking demand from markets around the world including the Americas and Europe, as well as Asia, Middle East, Oceania and beyond.”

Transcend is currently accepting charter bookings for 2026 and beyond although space is becoming limited in the launch year, according to Rood.

More information is available at Transcend.cruises.