Meyer Werft has started contruction on a new and spectacular ship: Arvia. The Steel-cutting ceremony for P&O Cruises “future-focused” second Excel class ship was part of a virtual ceremony.
A major construction milestone in the future of British cruising has been marked as P&O Cruises cut the first piece of steel for new ship Arvia.
In a speech at the virtual ceremony P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “The steel cutting marks an extraordinary milestone for the future of P&O Cruises. It is a future which will include two of the most environmentally innovative ships in the world today.”
While Arvia will have a different look and feel to Iona as she is being built to sail in the sun, the inherent DNA of both vessel is the same. It is one which exemplifies design excellence, forward-thinking power generation and future-focused experiences. The hardware, technology and interior arrangement of spaces leaves nothing lacking. Every sheet of metal, every control panel, every cabin, light fitting and chair has been designed and debated to ensure that it provides a pinnacle holiday for guests and the foremost working and living experience for crew.
The 184,700-tonne sister ship to Iona is being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany and will join the P&O Cruises fleet in December 2022.
The name Arvia, meaning “from the seashore”, was unveiled earlier this month through a video reveal outlining the letters in different locations, all relating to the beach and seashore.
P&O Cruises’ first LNG-powered ship Iona is poised to join the fleet this summer as the cruise line returns to service. The ship will sail her maiden season from Southampton.