UK FLEET AWAITS LARGEST CRUISESHIP

While originally slated for a May debut, the operator is reconsidering the ship’s maiden season of cruising to the Norwegian fjords due to the coronavirus pandemic. On March 20, the shipbuilder reported that work had been suspended on the vessel, now temporarily docked at Bremerhaven.

Parent organisation Carnival Corporation is investing heavily in the adoption of LNG as the primary fuel for new ships across its various brands, and the US$950m Iona is the first under P&O Cruises’ colours to have been specified with dual-fuel main machinery.

The diesel-electric power and propulsion installation is based on four gensets driven by 16-cylinder, vee-form engines of the MaK M46DF type, produced in Germany by Caterpillar Motoren. Each has a nominal maximum continuous output of 15,440kW, making for a primary power concentration of 61,760kW. The main consumers of the electrical energy drawdown will be the pair of Azipod propulsion units. The plant ensures a service speed of 17 knots plus a substantial reserve.

While giving the flexibility to ingest MDO and HFO, operation of the four-stroke, dual-fuel engines in gas mode both at sea and in port will meet the latest emissions criteria.

Iona will accommodate up to 5,206 passengers in 2,614 cabins, supported by a crew of about 1,760. Partner Ship Design of Germany and the British companies Jestico + Whiles and Richmond International were retained for interior design and styling. A sistership for P&O deployment is on the orderbook at Meyer Werft, with completion scheduled for 2022.

Iona is part of a series of vessels offering a 100% LNG capability to have been contracted by the Carnival group for several of its brands. Variously known as the Helios class or Excellence class, depending on assigned operator, all nine newbuilds to date have been awarded to Meyer Werft, which has split construction between Papenburg and its Finnish subsidiary Meyer Turku. The huge, floating engine room units (FERUs) emanate in each case from Meyer’s Neptun yard.

Deliveries started at the end of 2018 with the AIDAnova, for Rostock-based AIDA Cruises, followed in December 2019 by Costa Smeralda, for the Italian brand. Iona will be the third ship in the programme.

The fourth newbuild, to be named Mardi Gras and placed with Carnival Cruise Line in the USA, is scheduled for November handover this year, with the remaining tonnage for AIDA, Costa, Carnival, P&O, and AIDA, respectively, due over the course of 2021-2023.

PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS – Iona