Ever puzzled how cruise traces supersize their ships?
In 2008, the cruise ship Balmoral underwent a big transformation at Hamburg’s Blohm + Voss shipyard when it was prolonged by 99 ft (30 meters), showcasing an modern strategy to growing ship capability.
Fred.Olsen Cruise Strains, the ship’s present proprietor, commissioned the extension to reinforce the Balmoral’s capability. The method concerned reducing the ship in half and inserting a brand new midsection, successfully growing its size from 616 ft to 715 ft.
“This lengthening course of is a testomony to trendy engineering capabilities within the maritime trade,” mentioned a spokesperson. “It permits cruise traces to broaden their fleet capability with out the necessity for solely new vessel development.”
The structural integrity of the prolonged ship was put to the check in 2009 when the Balmoral encountered 50-foot waves within the Bay of Biscay, a notoriously tough stretch of water.
Take a look at the video beneath to see the whole course of, from precision reducing to the seamless integration of the brand new part and ending.
One other notable cruise ship lengthening passed off in 2018 at Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Italy, when the luxurious cruise ship Silver Spirit was lengthened by 15 meters utilizing an identical course of. You’ll be able to see photographs of that venture right here.
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