A ceremony to mark the keel laying of the largest cruise ship ever built for the British market took place today at the Monfalcone shipyard of Fincantieri near Trieste, Italy. The 141,000-ton cruise ship will enter service in 2015.
The ship is based on the same platform as Royal Princess and Regal Princess of sister company Princess cruises, but its external appearance and interior will be different to the two ships.
This next-generation ship will offer a stylish and innovative new design, with an unprecedented number of passenger facilities together with many iconic signatures of the P&O Cruises brand, the company said in a statement.
It will offer the “best of the best”, combining favourite classic features of ships such as Oriana and Aurora, the wide choice and variety of Ventura and Azura and a host of new concepts which will include some yet-to-be-announced “sophisticated wows”.
In delivering the ultimate P&O Cruises experience, the ship will be designed to attract many thousands of newcomers and will equally resonate with existing passengers by delivering the sense of P&O-ness for which the brand is held in such high regard. At the same time, the ship will be designed to deliver much greater levels of operational and environmental efficiency.
The keel laying will involve the placement in the dry dock of the first section of the ship’s hull. This section is made up of 6 pre-manufactured blocks, weighs 408 tons and is fitted with 214 tons of pipes, cables, insulation and other equipment. The ceremony follows an intensive period of design and development. 74 sections will be used in the construction of the ship.
In a speech Carnival UK CEO David Dingle said: “Each of our new ships has been exclusively designed for the British market. We have ensured that each anticipates the subtly changing trends in what British passengers expect from their cruise holiday – and is equipped to meet those expectations for many years to come. Our success in adapting to the market’s changing needs is why our ships continue to fill and why the whole cruise sector ultimately continues to buck any downward trend. We cannot wait to see this ship finished and underway”.
