Celebrity Millennium
The Celebrity Millennium at the quay in Nassau ( Bahamas)
- Millennium
Lloyd 's Register of Shipping
IMO no. 9189419
The Celebrity Millennium is one Panamax cruise ship in the American shipping company Celebrity Cruises. The lead ship of the same series (Millennium - class) was built around the year 2000 ( "Millennium" ) on the French shipyard Chantiers de l' Atlantique in Saint- Nazaire. It was the first cruise ship in the world, whose main power plant was equipped with gas turbines instead of diesel engines. At the time of delivery of the Celebrity Millennium was the largest built in France cruise ship. Her sister ships are the Celebrity Infinity ( 2001), Celebrity Summit (2001) and the Celebrity Constellation ( 2002).
History
Construction and commissioning
In May 1998, the American company General Electric announced that first gas turbines should come on cruise ships. The first cruise ship that was equipped with this technology, was the Millennium, which was placed with the hull number R31 keel. The design of the ship comes from the Australian naval architect Jon Bannenberg ( Bannenberg & Rowell Design), which was known in particular through the design of yachts. The fuselage was provided originally dark blue with gold colored trim, while the bodies were finished in white. Smaller areas of the chimney and mast were painted red. A few years later the color scheme have been simplified.
In early January 2000, the two propeller nacelles were installed. The Millennium was the first cruise ship, which was equipped with propulsion systems of the type Rolls- Royce " Mermaid " (Eng. Mermaid ). Actually, the ship should be delivered on 31 May 2000, the handover delayed due to technical problems, however, until the end of June, so that the maiden voyage had to be postponed. The ship was christened by Robyn Roux, wife of chef Michel Roux, in Southampton on the name Millennium. Finally, the ship broke until about two weeks late on 1 July 2000 under the Liberian flag of Amsterdam maiden voyage.
Use
Immediately after the commissioning led the Millennium cruises in the Baltic Sea. Thereafter, it was used worldwide, including in the Mediterranean, on the American east and west coasts ( with passage of the Panama Canal ), the Caribbean and the waters around Australia. In 2002, she transferred to the flag of the Bahamas. In April 2008, the name change took place in Celebrity Millennium, at the same time he transferred to the Maltese shipping register. The home port is Valletta since then. After your last renovation in 2012, they resumed their service in Alaska and the Panama Canal where she is traveling between spring and autumn. In winter 2012, she was first coming in Asian waters used to go as a priority from Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. But before it was used in the South Pacific and Hawaii. 2014 is similar to the cruise program largely that of 2012 and 2013.
In May 2009, U.S. $, the Celebrity Millennium has been renovated and overhauled in a Canadian shipyard for approximately 10 million. In early January 2010, the cruise line announced under the heading " Solstice it" to extensive modernization measures with which the equipment is to be fitted to the standard of the Solstice class.
Incidents
Already on the first cruise, it came on board Celebrity Millennium to problems with the drive system. Then again came to damages, as a result cruises had to be canceled or canceled. The two propeller nacelles of the ship had several times with unplanned stays in dry dock be repaired. The legal battles between the parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises and Rolls -Royce have been resolved through a settlement until early 2010.
On 2 July 2007 it seemed to Villefranche -sur- Mer for a grounding in the propeller and electrical systems were badly damaged. The ship had to be repaired in dry dock, two cruises were canceled.
Trivia
The walnut panels in the Olympic restaurant come from the RMS Olympic, sister ship of the RMS Titanic. The shipping company had acquired the parts previously at an auction at Sotheby's auction house.