Meyer Werft, the German cruise ship builder, said it has suspended work on P&O Cruises’ newbuilding Iona and the ship has been docked in Bremerhaven for the time being.
The ship was moved from Meyer’s shipyard in Papenburg on the River Ems to Bremerhaven, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, work on the interior of the ship has been suspended and sea trials have been postponed, the company said in a statement.
Only those people who are needed for safety of the ship will remain onboard.
Iona is the first of two 185,000 gross ton newbuildings for P&O Cruises, which is part of Carnival Corporation & plc. It had been scheduled to enter service on seven night cruises from Southampton to Norway in the early summer.
The LNG powered ship is based on a platform shared by Costa Crociere, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line and the ships are being built at Meyer's shipyards in Papenburg and in Turku in Finland. The second, as yet unnamed vessel, is due to enter service with P&O Cruises in 2022.
