MSC’s jumbo job
The 24 metre section was inserted into the MSC Armonia at the Italian shipbuilder’s Palermo yard in Sicily on Wednesday.
The ship entered drydock on 31 August and will remain on site for 11 weeks, until resuming service on 17 November with a one-off inaugural Mediterranean cruise.
The procedure was a key milestone in the EUR 200m ($258m) Renaissance Programme, which will also see the MSC Sinfonia, MSC Opera and MSC Lirica enlarged.
The four cruise ships were built at the STX France shipyard in Saint-Nazaire and delivered between 2003 and 2005.
Following the jumboisation process the four ships will gain will measure 275 metres in length and gain an additional 193 passenger and 59 crew cabins.
In addition each ship will also receive a new hull treatment designed to minimize drag and lower water resistance, considerably reducing fuel consumption.
A variable speed drive inverter will also be installed – an energy-saving system that reduces the ship’s electricity consumption by adjusting it in line with operational conditions.
Finally, a new design of propeller blade is being studied by MSC Cruises’ blade manufacturer to maximize efficiency and lower fuel consumption even further.
source:www.tradewindsnews.com