Karl WP Beyer February 16, 2022 - The P&O Iona gets a sister ship. P&O Cruises and MEYER WERFT in Papenburg celebrated the laying of the keel and the coin ceremony of the P&O Arvia yesterday. A crane lifted the first 570-ton component of the Arvia's underwater hull onto the slipway.
P&O Arvia - Keel laying ceremony
No new ship building without the traditional coin ceremony: the 800-ton crane MEYER WERFT yesterday lifted the first building segment onto the coins lying ready on the slipway. Based on Barbados, the future winter home port of the ship, coins from the Caribbean state of Barbados were used for the ceremony. The 184.000 GT P&O Arvia is a sister ship of the P&O Iona. This cruise ship was also built by MEYER WERFT. In 2020, the British shipping company, which is part of the Carnival Group, took over its largest cruise ship to date. Thanks to their innovative LNG drive, the sister ships are among the most environmentally friendly cruise ships in the world.
P&O Iona - Photo © P&O Cruises
The Arvia is being built by MEYER WERFT in the world's largest covered shipbuilding dock. The shipyard faces a tough time in the coming months; the new building should be completed by the end of 2022. The P&O Arvia makes her maiden voyage to the Canary Islands. During the subsequent winter season she cruises in the Caribbean.
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