MV Britannia (2014)

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BRITANNIA (48013113662).jpg
Britannia in Rotterdam in 2019
History
Flag of Bermuda.svg Bermuda
NameBritannia
Owner Carnival Corporation & plc
Operator P&O Cruises
Port of registry Flag of Bermuda.svg Hamilton, Bermuda
Ordered2011
Builder Fincantieri, Monfalcone, Italy
Cost £ 473 million
Yard number6231
Laid down15 May 2013
Launched14 February 2014
Christened10 March 2015 by Queen Elizabeth II
Completed26 February 2015
Maiden voyage14 March 2015
In service14 March 2015
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and type Royal-class cruise ship
Tonnage
Length330 m (1,082 ft 8 in) [3]
Beam38.4 m (126 ft 0 in) [3]
Height70.67 m (231 ft 10 in)
Draft8.3 m (27 ft 3 in) (max) [3]
Decks15 passenger decks
Installed powerTotal 36  MW (48,000  hp) [3]
PropulsionWärtsilä 12V46F x 2 & Wärtsilä 14V46F x 2 & propulsion electric motors - 2 x VEM Sachsenwerk GMBH
Speed21.9 knots (40.6 km/h; 25.2 mph) at 136 rev/min
Capacity3,647 passengers
Crew1,398

MV Britannia is a cruise ship of the P&O Cruises fleet. She was built by Fincantieri at its shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. [4]

Contents

Britannia is the flagship of the fleet, [5] taking the honour from Oriana. She officially entered service on 14 March 2015, [6] and was named by Queen Elizabeth II. Her first captain was Paul Brown.

Britannia features a 94-metre (308 ft) Union Flag on her bow, the largest of its kind in the world. [7]

Naming and construction

Britannia was ordered in 2011 and was laid down on 15 May 2013. [8] The ship was built at the Fincantieri yard at Monfalcone in Italy.

The name Britannia was announced on 24 September 2013 and has historical importance for P&O, as there have been two previous ships named Britannia connected with the company. The first entered service in 1835 for the General Steam Navigation Company, which went on to become the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company. The second, which entered service in 1887, was one of four ships ordered by the company to mark the golden jubilee of both Queen Victoria and P&O itself. The ceremonial float out of the third Britannia took place on the afternoon of 14 February 2014, with the traditional champagne bottle smashed against the vessel's hull. Britannia departed the Fincantieri ship yard on 27 February 2015 for Southampton via Gibraltar. Britannia was officially named on 10 March 2015 by Queen Elizabeth II at the Ocean Terminal.

Facilities

On board, Britannia features 13 bars as well as 13 restaurants and cafés. [9]

TV chef James Martin developed "The Cookery Club" on board Britannia. The venue features celebrity chefs/cooks such as Mary Berry, James Tanner, Antonio Carluccio, Paul Rankin and Pierre Koffman. Eric Lanlard has his own patisserie, Market Café, in the ship's atrium. He also created an upgraded afternoon tea service in the Epicurean restaurant. Atul Kochhar, of the Michelin-starred Benares restaurant in London, supervises menus in Sindhu (as also seen on fleetmates Ventura and Azura). Marco Pierre White creates menu items served in the main restaurants on gala nights. [10] The ship has a 936-seat theatre. [11]

Britannia has a total of 1,837 cabins with 27 of those being single cabins (inside and balcony), in addition to conventional inside and balcony cabins; 64 of the cabins are designated as suites. For the first time on a P&O Cruises ship, all outside cabins have balconies. Britannia has four pools including a dedicated pool for teenagers, and the Oasis Spa.

In October 2019, Britannia entered dry dock to undergo a major refit and refurbishment. The changes included the addition of a new art gallery, new shopping outlets and a redesigned Atrium. [12]

Maiden voyage and itineraries

MV Britannia in La Rochelle 28 May 2015 MV Britannia La Rochelle-a.jpg
MV Britannia in La Rochelle 28 May 2015

Britannia's maiden voyage took place 14–28 March 2015, and included visits to Spain, Italy and France.

During her summer season, Britannia sails to the Mediterranean, Norwegian fjords, the Baltic, Canary Islands and Atlantic Islands. In winter, the ship operates 14-night Caribbean itineraries.

Britannia docked at Flam, Norway in June 2019 Flam Norway P&O MV Britannia.jpg
Britannia docked at Flåm, Norway in June 2019

Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway was recorded and shown live on board as the final show of the 13th series, on 2 April 2016.

Similar ships

In 2013, Princess Cruises began operating the lead vessel in its Royal class, Royal Princess. [13] Britannia is built to the same template, but its character and exterior appearance is tailored for P&O. [14] The second ship of the Royal class, Regal Princess, was delivered 11 May 2014 to Princess Cruises.

Incidents

In 2019, there was a brawl on board. Six people, including a member of staff, were injured in the late-night fight in one of the restaurants. [15] [16]

On 27 August 2023, Britannia broke her moorings while docked in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, during a sudden storm. She drifted across the harbour and collided with a moored oil tanker, the Castillo de Arteaga. [17] [18] It was reported that a small number of people on Britannia had sustained minor injuries, and were being cared for by the onboard medical centre. [19]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Britannia". Marine Traffic. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  2. ↑ "Britannia (9614036)" . LR ships in class. Lloyd's Register . Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Britannia". Fincantieri. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  4. ↑ "Italy: Keel Laid for P&O Cruises' 141,000-Ton Cruise Ship". World Maritime News. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "Britannia refit in focus", P&O, 3 November 2022
  6. ↑ "Britannia Cruise Ship | P&O Cruises". P&O Cruises. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "P&O Cruises Unveils New Look". Cruise Critic. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  8. ↑ "P&O Cruises New Ship, 2015". P&O Cruises. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  9. ↑ "P&O Britannia: Britain's newest and biggest cruise ship". Telegraph Travel. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "A taste for discovery with Marco Pierre White | P&O Cruises". www.pocruises.com. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  11. ↑ "P&O Cruises Reveals New Ship Interiors, Maiden Voyages, Celebrity Chefs". Cruise Critic. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  12. ↑ "Exclusive: P&O Cruises Reveals Details on Britannia's Forthcoming Refit". cruisecritic.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  13. ↑ "UK: Duchess of Cambridge Christens New Ship 'Royal Princess'". World Maritime News. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  14. ↑ Macmillan, Sally (26 March 2015). "P&O's new Britannia cruise ship: continuing a great British maritime tradition". Fairfax Media . Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  15. ↑ ""There was no clown": Cruise ship company denies reports violent brawl was started by passenger dressed up as clown". Newsweek . 29 July 2019.
  16. ↑ "Passenger in clown suit prompted mass cruise ship brawl, say witnesses". TheGuardian.com . 27 July 2019.
  17. ↑ "P&O cruise ship crashes on Mallorca as panicked Brits 'in tears' fearing for their lives". msn.com . 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  18. ↑ "Storm snaps Britannia's moorings in Palma". Majorca Daily Bulletin. 27 August 2023.
  19. ↑ Moloney, Charlie (27 August 2023). "Mallorca: P&O ship with thousands of Britons onboard collides with tanker". The Guardian .
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