By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas has started her 26-mile conveyance from Meyer Werft’s Papenburg yard in Germany to Eemshaven in the Netherlands.
The conveyance is a unique process for ships built at the Papenburg yard, which is unconventionally situated inland on the banks of the River Ems to avoid the impact of storms on the North Sea. This makes it necessary for ships to travel down the river to get to the sea.
“For hours we are actually taking the ship along this very, very tight channel where there is only about two to three feet of distance on each side between the ship and the river bank,” said Patrik Dahlgren, vice president of marine operations at Royal Caribbean International. “The conveyance is all timed with the tides and weather conditions to help balance the movements of the ship along the river.”
Meyer Werft has carried out conveyances since 1975, but this one is particularly challenging as Quantum of the Seas is the largest ship to ever go through this process, measuring 348 metres in length, 41.4 metres in width and 167,800gt.
Like all ships undergoing conveyance processes, Quantum of the Seas will be towed backwards and manoeuvred in reverse. When she reaches Eemshaven in the Netherlands, Quantum will undergo a series of sea trials to test her speed, manoeuvrability, equipment and safety features.
“With Quantum being the largest ship that has ever been built at Meyer Werft, there are some power lines that need to be rerouted and some bridges along the river actually have to be lifted out of the way with a crane to allow the ship to pass, including one that is used by one of the main railways into Holland,” said Dahlgren.
Quantum of the Seas will leave Eemshaven in November and make her way to New York harbour in the US to begin her inaugural cruise season.