Harland & Wolff was awarded a drydocking contract for 2 Carnival Corporation-owned ships (operated by the subsidiaries P&O UK and Cunard) that will occupy the Belfast drydock for a total of 33 days.
The companies selected Harland & Wolff’s 81-acre Belfast shipyard to undertake the drydocking works on 2 of its cruise ships - P&O Aurora and Cunard's Queen Victoria.
The works due to be undertaken on both ships are standard drydocking operations that give Harland & Wolff the chance to demonstrate to the wider cruise industry its capabilities and expertise in those types of projects.
The first cruise ship to dock under the agreement is Queen Victoria which entered service in December 2007. With a length of 294 metres and a beam of 32.3 metres, she will be in the yard from 2nd to 19th May 2022.
Cunard's QV will be the largest cruise vessel ever to have drydocked in a UK shipyard as well as the only Cunard liner to have ever drydocked in Belfast (Northern Ireland).
The 2nd cruise ship is P&O Cruises’ Aurora which entered service in May 2000. With a length of 270 metres and a beam of 32 metres, she will be in the yard from 9th to 23rd June 2022.
The arrival of these cruise ships in Belfast marks another milestone completed in relation to the re-activation strategy of Harland & Wolff across its key markets. The company’s strategy has been very clear, i.e., to operate in 5 markets and 6 service sectors to ensure continuity of projects as well as to provide longevity of employment for the core workforce. This is expected to result in improved productivity/reduced project costs for ship owners.