P&O Cruises has announced the beginning of the assembly stage in the construction of its new ship Arvia, a sister ship to the recently launched Iona.
Steel cutting for Arvia began several weeks ago and now the first section of the vessel’s hull has been completed, enabling assembly of her blocks to begin.
RELATED: P&O Cruises confirm Arvia Caribbean cruise season for 2023
RELATED: P&O Cruises takes delivery of Excel-class LNG mega ship Iona
Arvia will be P&O Cruises’ second Excel-class ship and is due for delivery in December 2022. She is being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Warnemunde, Germany.
The first component of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered ship, the floating engine room unit (FERU), was moved into the shed at the Meyer Werft shipyard where the Arvia will be constructed.
Made by Neptun Werft, the FERU, with Arvia’s engines and LNG tanks within it, is 140 meters long, 42 meters wide and weighs approximately 12,000 tons.
It is the first of several dozen blocks that will be prefabricated and then welded together to create the hull and superstructure of the 180,000-gross ton ship.
Arvia will feature many of the same amenities and features as Iona, such as the Altitude Skywalk, a unique high ropes experience, the SkyDome entertainment area, a three-deck-high atrium, 17 restaurants, 8 specialty restaurants, and 12 bars.
Arvia will offer a maiden season of Caribbean fly/cruise holidays from home port Barbados after her delivery in December next year.
Rendering of Arvia
RELATED: P&O Cruises announces restart plans and initiatives to ease boarding
RELATED: P&O, Fred Olsen and Viking release UK-focused roundtrip itineraries
P&O Cruises haven’t yet announced all the dining and entertainment that will debut aboard Arvia, but Iona introduced a number of new-at-sea dining concepts for P&O Cruises, including a new steakhouse, a ‘foodie’ market, as well as 30 other places to eat and drink.
These included Keel and Cow, serving perfectly cooked steaks chosen from a glass fronted dry aging fridge and British gastropub dishes, and Quays piazza, home to a wide range of self-service and “takeaway” venues in a new ‘foodie’ market, with a lively atmosphere for sociable dining.
Iona also debuted a new Freedom Dining concept for P&O, with guests able to dine whenever they like in all of its main restaurants, and this is likely to be offered aboard Arvia as well.
The three-deck Atrium will be the heart of the ship. Each level of the Grand Atrium offers a different destination for guests but with the same views and natural light thanks to extensive glazed windows either side.
It was a new development for P&O Cruises, created by architecture and interior design practice Jestico + Whiles, the creators of W Hotel (London), Aqua Shard (restaurant in the Shard) and The Yas Hotel right here in Abu Dhabi.
Categories: News
