By
Rebecca Gibson |
P&O Cruises is to christen its new 141,000 gt cruise ship Britannia when she enters service in spring 2015.
The 3,600-passenger vessel is currently under construction at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone yard in Trieste, Italy and as the largest cruise ship ever built for both P&O Cruises and the British market, is expected to boost the line’s capacity by a quarter.
“Today’s Britain is a place of increasing style and sophistication, optimism and excitement,” said David Dingle, CEO of P&O Cruises and Carnival UK, speaking at an event in London. “Britannia will reflect that feeling and will mark a new era of growth and success for the cruise industry.”
He added: “Britannia will underpin P&O Cruises unique commitment to building ships specifically designed to anticipate the tastes of today’s Britain. It will be a modern classic, a ship for this and future generations offering authentic travel by sea in an enduringly contemporary setting.”
British hospitality design company Richmond International has been commissioned to design the ship’s interior, which will offer many of the line’s popular signature features found on ships such as Oriana, Ventura and Azura, as well as a range of new concepts and an increased number of single cabins.
Britannia will also deliver increased operational and environmental efficiency.
“The ship will be our greenest yet and will be designed to deliver much greater levels of operational and environmental efficiency, with a new hull form reducing unit fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent,” added Dingle. “While the name Britannia has great historical resonance with P&O Cruises, most importantly the ship will celebrate the forward-looking Britain of today and the future.”
Two previous ships connected to P&O were named Britannia – the first became operational in 1835 for the General Steam Navigation Company, while the second entered service in 1887 to mark the Golden Jubilee of both Queen Victoria and P&O.