First block of “Celebrity Solstice” laid

The first of 72 blocks of the new 122,000 grt passenger cruise vessel “Celebrity Solstice” for Celebrity Cruises was laid at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. The first block of the new ship was put in position by the yard?s 800-ton crane. The first block weighs more than 430 tonnes, is 16 m long, 36.8 m wide and approx. 8 m high.

The vessel will have a length overall of 315 m and a breadth of 36.8 m. The speed will be more than 24 knots and she will be able to accommodate more than 2,850 passengers in 1,425 cabins. The new ship will have another two sister ships, the “Celebrity Equinox” and the “Celebrity Eclipse”. The “Celebrity Solstice” will feature plenty of technical innovations especially in the field of new energy saving solutions and will be built in compliance with the latest stability rules which will take effect in 2009. The newbuilding is scheduled for delivery to the owner Celebrity Cruises in October 2008.