A new river ship is taking shape on the Danube. Century Cruises has floated out the Century Diamond at its shipyard in Kladovo, eastern Serbia — the moment the hull hits the water and interior fitting-out begins. It's the second of four new European vessels the line is building, and it's due to welcome its first guests in August 2027.
The numbers tell you what kind of ship this will be. At 135 metres long, the Century Diamond carries up to 174 passengers in 76 cabins — small enough to feel boutique, big enough for proper public spaces. It will also run on hybrid propulsion, part of a wider push among river lines to cut emissions on Europe's inland waterways.
Where it will sail matters more than how it's powered, though. Once delivered, the Diamond will be based on the Rhine, running mostly eight-day cruises between Basel in Switzerland and Amsterdam in the Netherlands — the classic route through Germany's wine villages, cathedral cities and the Rhine Gorge. A handful of departures will stray off the standard itinerary to other waterways in Century's European programme, so there'll be some variety for repeat guests.
The Diamond also arrives with a sibling already working. The Century Star, the first of the four-ship order, started its maiden Danube season in September. That gives the young brand two ships on Europe's two most popular rivers — the Danube and the Rhine — with two more to come.
Why should this matter to you if you're not booking yet? August 2027 feels far off, but river cruises on the Rhine sell out early, especially the summer and Christmas-market seasons. If boutique-scale river sailing appeals — fewer guests than the big river lines run, newer hardware, quieter hybrid cruising — it's worth keeping Century's rollout on your radar now, even if you can't book for a while. It's also a sign the river cruise market keeps expanding: more ships means more choice, more departure dates and, in quieter months, sharper prices.
For anyone near the Serbian Danube or curious about where Europe's river ships are built, Kladovo's shipyard is an unexpected hub of the industry — a small riverside town turning out vessels destined for the Rhine's busiest routes.
