Regent Seven Seas Cruises announced Captain Serena Melani will be at the helm of their latest cruise ship Seven Seas Splendor. When the vessel joins Regent Seven Seas fleet in February 2020 this will mark the first time a woman to captain an opening team and deliver brand new cruise liner.

Captain Melani, 45, has made rapid progress in her nearly 30-year career in cruise ship leadership positions. She started her nautical career at age 16 as a cadet in her school days, working on cargo ships in her hometown, Livorno, Italy, and along the Tyrrhenian Sea in the region of Tuscany. After graduating from the Nautical College in 1993, she was one of the few women to perform duties of responsibility in oil tankers, freighters, and container ships. Captain Melani joined Regent in 2010 as Bridge Officer, then held positions as Navigation Officer, Security Officer and Captain of Personnel at Seven Seas Voyager. She became the company's first female captain in 2016 on Seven Seas Explorer.

"Captain Melani has distinguished herself as a pioneer in the maritime and cruise industry," said Jason Montague, president, and CEO of Regent Seven Seas Cruises. "She is admired by our guests and our team. We are proud to name Captain Melani as the first female captain in the industry to deliver a new cruise and we look forward to her future successes as the leader of Seven Seas Splendor in the years to come. "

"There is a growing number of very talented captains that are emerging in our industry, and I am proud to be a pioneer for those women who aspire to lead the Bridge," says Captain Melani. "Exploring the world and ships has been my passion and I enjoy sharing this enthusiasm with all those who sail with us." she added: "I have always believed in the motto that the cure for everything resides in salt water: sweat, tears and the sea."

Captain Melani, lives with her husband in the picturesque Croatian island of Korcula. She spent much of this year at the shipyard in Ancona, Italy, where they are building Seven Seas Splendor, working with engineers and designers to guarantee the perfect form and function from the perspective of a captain.

With approximately 55,000 gross registered tons and capacity for 750 guests, Seven Seas Splendor will have one of the highest space and crew/guest ratio in the cruise industry.