By
Michele Witthaus |
The first segment of the new Princess Cruises ship, Royal Princess, was placed during a keel-laying ceremony in Italy on 20 October.
The laying of the 500-ton keel at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone was accompanied by a traditional blessing ceremony and celebration. The vessel is scheduled for completion by spring 2013.
The 3,600-passenger, 141,000-ton ship will remain in the building dock until its float-out next summer and is expected to require more than two million man hours of work. Innovative features of the design include an over-water glass-bottomed walkway and bar, both of which will extend more than 20 feet beyond the edge of the vessel.
“It’s always very exciting to mark this step in a ship’s construction, when several of the pre-built sections come together to form a new addition to our fleet, especially with a prototype design,” said Alan Buckelew, president and CEO of Princess Cruises.
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, remarked: “The keel laying in the building dock marks a fundamental step in the construction of Royal Princess, an innovative prototype ship for one of the most prestigious brands of Carnival Corporation, the world cruise leader, for which Fincantieri has built many vessels in the past. We are particularly proud and strongly believe that Fincantieri will build the most beautiful ship in the world.”