The first-of-its-kind lengthening of a luxury cruise ship is underway at the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Italy.
Over the last several days, shipbuilders have worked at cutting the ultra-luxury Sliver Spirit in half and inserting 15-meter prefabricated section into the central part of the ship. They are now working on reconnecting the vessel.
Delivered by Fincantieri’s Ancona yard in 2009, the Silverseas’ Silver Spirit had a gross tonnage of 36,000 tons and length of the 195 meters. Following the lengthening, the ship will measure 210.7 meters.
Approximately 846 tons of steel, 110,000m (360,892 ft.) of cabling, and 8,000m (26,247 ft.) of piping will be used in the lengthening.
Prior to installation, the 15-meter section was prebuilt and floated into the dry dock with the cruise ship. Once emptied, the section was maneauvered into place.
The project, a first for an ultra-luxury cruise ship, has been developed and carried out by Fincantieri’s Ship Repair and Conversion division.
The project is scheduled to be completed in early May, at which point the Silver Spirit will return to service in the European market.
Here’s a video showing the operation:
All photos courtesy Silverseas Group
