Celebrity Beyond stretches Edge class

At 326 metres overall, the new ship is 20 metres longer than Celebrity Edge that was delivered in 2019 and Celebrity Apex that followed in 2020.

However, all ships of the class are powered by the same power pack that comprises two Wartsila 8 LF 46 medium speed engines of 9.6MW each, also two Wartsila 12V 46 F engines of 14.4 MW each and a single Wartsila 12 V 32 E diesel of 6.9 MW, totalling 54.9MW.

Propulsion power is delivered by two Azipods of 16 MW each, which means that the propulsion load accounts for 58.3% of the total power installed onboard the ship. By increasing the gross tonnage by about 11,000 compared with previous units in the class that have similar power plant, the vessel should achieve a higher Carbon Intensity Indicator rating, said Markus Aarnio, Chief Naval Architect at Foreship in Finland.

As the installed power in both Celebrity Beyond and the two previous ships is the same, the new ship should score slightly higher, but it is the actual fuel consumption of a ship over a period of time that is crucial in CII calculations rather than the installed power in itself. 

Vesa Marttinen, Senior Advisor at MarineCycles in Finland, noted that the hotel and safety systems will have to be partly redesigned to match with the bigger size and higher capacity of the longer ship. On the other hand, technical systems and staffing outside the hotel department are not usually affected in cases like this. “The length to beam ratio of a lengthened vessel is usually better, so that this should lead to fuel savings,” he added.

As the capacity of the vessel increases – in this case by 15.5% – its earnings potential is greater than the previous units of the class. “The additional work required is very limited compared to the gains made on the earnings side. This improves the return on invested capital – both for the owner and the yard,” he concluded.

It is quite common that cruise shipping companies modify a design to add capacity as they build a series of ships. Basically, this can either be done by adding a cabin deck or part of one in the superstructure or adding length to later units of the class.

Adding a cabin deck will increase capacity, but it will not increase the size of public areas and outer decks apart from cabin balconies, so this approach runs the risk of increasing congestion onboard. Lengthening a platform will not only increase the capacity of the ship, but also provide additional public areas. These again are a source of revenue – even outer decks can accommodate bars and restaurants that provide revenue streams.

Celebrity Beyond and the two further units of the class are the largest ships of the company and they feature e.g. an innovative platform on each side of the ship that can be lowered to the waterline to act as platforms for tenders. At sea, they are hoisted up to provide additional outdoor dining areas. 

The ships also feature an Infinite Veranda, which effectively means that the balcony can be merged with the cabin by opening sliding doors on either side of the balcony. The doors merge into the walls, unlike on most other ships where beams that form part of the supporting structure of the vessel mean that entrance to the balcony becomes narrower than the cabin itself.

MAIN PARTICULARS – Celebrity Beyond