The curious art of ‘stretching’ a cruise ship

“It’s a bit like watching the ancient Egyptians using modern technology,”
commented one onlooker who had flown in from Canada to see the skid shoes in
action (they are to be used for moving parts of an off-shore platform his
company is building in South Korea).

Suddenly there was movement. It was slow, inches at a time, with regular stops
for safety checks. At the same time, the 2,200-ton new section, which was at
the back of the dry dock, began to move into position.

The section was built at the shipyard, took three-and-a-half months to
complete and in good maritime tradition was blessed by a madrina, or
godmother. If all goes according to plan welding into place will begin on
September 25 ahead of the interior refit.

The extension will not only making Armonia bigger (the additional cabins will
take passenger count from 1,566 to 1,952) and add 90 balcony cabins, it will
also create space for a water park, a crèche, teenager clubs and a new
library. Fire safety and fuel consumption will also be improved.

These are cutting-edge technologies,” Emilio La Scala, general manager of
MSC’s technical department, told me, I assume with no pun intended. “We need
to upgrade these ships to stay competitive.”

^{MSC Armonia was cut in two and a new section inserted (photo: MSC Cruises)}

Armonia’s three sister ships, Sinfonia, Opera and Lirica will all be stretched
at the Palermo yard over the next 12 months. In all, the work will cost
€200/£159 million – a tidy sum but significantly less than the cost of
building a new ship (Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas is
costing $1 billion). Each ship will take approximately nine weeks to
lengthen and refit, with the new-look MSC Armonia sailing out of the
shipyard on November 17.

Back at the yard progress was slow. With just a metre gap between front and
back our group was called to a press conference. We returned two hours later
to find that nothing had happened. The skid shoes did not malfunction; we
were told, but balance technicalities took longer than expected.

“The workers are at lunch,” project manager Georgio Pollina said. “We will
continue while it is light and finish tomorrow.”

As most of the media was flying out that evening, I suspect that was news for
the cruise line, too.

After a repositioning cruise from Genoa to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria,
Armonia will begin a winter season of week-long Canary Island sailings. From
£548 per person for a seven-night cruise return from Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Includes return flight (0203 426 3010; msccruises.co.uk).

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