Last September Azamara Club Cruises surprised the world by announcing they were adding a third ship to their fleet of luxury boutique ships. Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest would be joined by sister ship Azamara Pursuit – the original R Eight that was built for Renaissance Cruises.
Last week P&O Cruises’ Adonia made her final sailing to the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport where she would become Azamara Pursuit.
As soon as the Adonia arrived at the yard she was taken out of the water for a statutory class inspection. This included a close inspection of the hull and the tail gear.
Once the inspection complete, the ship was ready to officially be handed over to Azamara Club Cruises.
“I am very glad to announce that captain Carl Smith has taken command of Adonia, to be known Azamara Pursuit whilst on blocks in Grand Bahama Yard March 14th 2018 at 1200 hours.” – Larry Pimentel, CEO Azamara Club Cruises
While the ink on the aquisition documents was still drying, workers at the shipard began the transformation of the ship by removing her old name and replacing it with her new name, Azamara Pursuit.
Every square meter of Pursuit’s hull and gear equipment were inspected, evaluated and updated as necessary. Propellors were dismounted to inspect shafts and calibrated for balance. Finally the hull of the ship was cleaned, scrubbed and painted in deep Azamara blue.
With her new look and the Azamara flag raised Azamara Pursuit is now ready to set sail for Europe. Once in Europe the ship will go through a complete refurbishment to bring the vessel in line with the renovations introduced on Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest.
For an in-depth look at the accommodations onboard Azamara Club Cruises visit “A private look inside the staterooms onboard Azamara Quest“.
On August 1st, after her four-month refit in Belfast, Azamara Pursuit will make her maiden voyage from Southampton to the Norwegian fjords followed by a 15-night voyage to Iceland. Upon her return to southampton the ship will officially be named Azamara Pursuit during a celebration on August 28, 2018.
Pictures courtesy of Larry Pimentel and Azamara Club Cruises.