The Alia, a jewel of the Dune fleet, set sail at the end of 2021. This high-end vessel promises conviviality and comfort while minimizing its environmental impact, from design to life on board. The Dune team opens the doors to this over two-year adventure for us!
The Evolution of Shipbuilding
Forget diving cruises from 30 years ago! Gone are the Spartan bunks, rudimentary facilities, and deafening engine noise. Standards have radically changed, prioritizing comfort, space, services, and environmental respect. Alia, with its 44 meters and capacity for 26 divers, pushes these limits further.
Two Years of Hard Work
It took two years for Gérard Besse’s idea, founder of Dune, to take shape and welcome its first guests. Built from steel and wood, it was constructed in Egypt at the Safaga shipyard, the birthplace of 80% of the region’s dive boats. It is also where the Dune fleet is renovated each year. Nathanaël Zreik, general manager for the Red Sea, emphasizes the trust relationship built with local craftsmen over the years. Only the exterior paint, requiring a special five-coat technique, required the intervention of outside experts.
July 2019 marks the tangible beginning: tons of steel arrive for the hull. The plans, validated the previous year, come to life. Six months later, the structure is completed. Then begins the « second work »: installation of engines, interior finishes, and exterior paint, a nine-month phase. In September 2020, the Alia is launched and tested. The interior design, which will give it its unique personality, can finally begin.
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