November 2, 2017 – The keel laying ceremony of the first of three new cruise ships that Fincantieri is building for Virgin Voyages (part of Virgin Group) was held yesterday in Sestri Ponente (Genoa).
At the presence of the President of the Liguria Region, Giovanni Toti, the mayor of Genoa, Marco Bucci, and other authorities, the ceremony was attended by Richard Branson, founder of Virgin, Tom McAlpin, President and CEO of Virgin Voyages, and for Fincantieri by Alberto Maestrini, General Manager.
Each ship will weigh about 110,000 gross tons, be 278 meters long and 38 wide, with delivery scheduled for 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively.
The ships will feature over 1,400 guest cabins that can host more than 2,700 passengers, accompanied by 1,150 crew members on board to deliver the famed Virgin service.
These ships will stand out for original design and craftsmanship.
They will include some highly innovative ideas and design solutions, notably for energy recovery, reducing the overall environmental impact. For example, they will be equipped with an energy production system of approximately 1 MW, which uses the diesel engine’s waste heat. The result is, therefore, a project which distinguishes Virgin Voyages in the worldwide cruise scenery.
.jpg)
