F3 class
Encyclopedia
Norwegian Epic, also known under the project name F3, is the third largest cruise ship
in the world, owned by the Norwegian Cruise Line
and built by STX Europe Chantiers de l'Atlantique
shipyard in Saint-Nazaire
, France
. Two ships in this class were ordered by NCL in November 2006, with an option for a third vessel that was not exercised. A dispute between NCL and STX initially resulted in the construction of both ships being placed on hold until a new agreement was reached in which the first ship will be completed and the construction of the second ship was cancelled. Delivery of the sole remaining ship was scheduled for June 2010.
Norwegian Epic was delivered to NCL on June 17, 2010. She set sail on her Maiden Voyage on Thursday June 24, 2010 from Southampton to New York and arrived on July 1. This is the largest cruise ship to ever dock in New York Passenger Ship Terminal
.
as NCL's largest vessel by almost 60,000-GT. Norwegian Epic represents the "third generation" of Freestyle cruising vessels and its size allows NCL to have a ship that is in the "mega-class" of their competitors at Royal Caribbean International
and Carnival Cruise Lines
, though still 32% smaller by gross tonnage than Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, the world's largest and longest passenger vessels. The ship has 4100 passenger berths, with 100% of outside cabins having balconies. NCL had stated that this ship would have 60% more passenger space than their then largest ships.
Norwegian Epic has the only tube and bowl water slide at sea in its Aqua park. It also has a rappelling wall, as well as two three-lane bowling alleys. It also has a 17-degree ice bar.
The F3-class ship was built by STX Europe at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique
shipyard in Saint-Nazaire
, France
. The last ships delivered to NCL that was not at least partially built at a German shipyard was the Windward of 1993. Since that date and until this order, NCL's newbuildings have been built at the German Meyer Werft
, Lloyd Werft
, Bremer Vulkan
and Aker MTW shipyards.
On April 13, 2010 NCL
CEO Kevin Sheehan along with Macy's, Inc CEO Terry J. Lundgren
and NBC
CEO Jeff Zucker
announced that the Macy's
34th Annual 4th of July
Fireworks
would take place on the Norwegian Epic (The fireworks were off on another Ship) The NBC
One-Hour Telecast of the Event was broadcast from the Norwegian Epic.
In September 2008 dispute over the price of the first F3 vessel (at the time approximately 25% complete) arose between Norwegian Cruise Line and STX France. Reportedly the sale of 50% of NCL to Apollo Management
in August 2007 resulted in Apollo making several changes to the designs, resulting in higher cost for the first vessel. It was reported that the construction of the second ship was unaffected by the dispute, but ultimately it was announced that the first ship will be completed and the construction of the second ship will be canceled.
The sea trial of Norwegian Epic occurred over four days beginning on February 10, 2010. During the sea trials, 300 technicians and engineers from Aker Yards France, along with 30 Norwegian Cruise Line representatives, checked more than 60 aspects of the ship's performance by running trials of the ship's speed, maneuverability, hydrodynamics and propulsion in the Atlantic Ocean.
A second round of sea trials was conducted on June 11, 2010, which finalized all the aspects of the ship.
attack. Despite the damage, Norwegian Epic was delivered on time.
, Rome
& Marseille
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
in the world, owned by the Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or...
and built by STX Europe Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique is part of the South Korean STX Shipbuilding Group and one of the world's largest shipyards, based in Saint-Nazaire, France...
shipyard in Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Two ships in this class were ordered by NCL in November 2006, with an option for a third vessel that was not exercised. A dispute between NCL and STX initially resulted in the construction of both ships being placed on hold until a new agreement was reached in which the first ship will be completed and the construction of the second ship was cancelled. Delivery of the sole remaining ship was scheduled for June 2010.
Norwegian Epic was delivered to NCL on June 17, 2010. She set sail on her Maiden Voyage on Thursday June 24, 2010 from Southampton to New York and arrived on July 1. This is the largest cruise ship to ever dock in New York Passenger Ship Terminal
New York Passenger Ship Terminal
The New York Passenger Ship Terminal is a terminal for ocean-going passenger ships on Manhattan's west side....
.
Overview
The Norwegian Epic surpasses the Jewel-classJewel class cruise ship
The Jewel class is a class of cruise ships operated by the Norwegian Cruise Line and was built by Meyer Werft of Germany. The Jewel class became NCL's largest ships, until the construction of Norwegian Epic, at 153,000-GT, in 2009 at STX Europe in St. Nazaire, which is also owned by NCL...
as NCL's largest vessel by almost 60,000-GT. Norwegian Epic represents the "third generation" of Freestyle cruising vessels and its size allows NCL to have a ship that is in the "mega-class" of their competitors at Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...
and Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
, though still 32% smaller by gross tonnage than Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, the world's largest and longest passenger vessels. The ship has 4100 passenger berths, with 100% of outside cabins having balconies. NCL had stated that this ship would have 60% more passenger space than their then largest ships.
Norwegian Epic has the only tube and bowl water slide at sea in its Aqua park. It also has a rappelling wall, as well as two three-lane bowling alleys. It also has a 17-degree ice bar.
The F3-class ship was built by STX Europe at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique is part of the South Korean STX Shipbuilding Group and one of the world's largest shipyards, based in Saint-Nazaire, France...
shipyard in Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The last ships delivered to NCL that was not at least partially built at a German shipyard was the Windward of 1993. Since that date and until this order, NCL's newbuildings have been built at the German Meyer Werft
Meyer Werft
The Meyer Werft is one of the remaining large German shipyards, headquartered in Papenburg. Since 1997, it has been part of the Meyer Neptun Group together with Neptun Werft in Rostock.-History:...
, Lloyd Werft
Lloyd Werft
Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven GmbH is a dockyard in Bremerhaven, established in 1857 by Norddeutscher Lloyd. The yard employs 500 workers in an area of 260. 000 m². Ships with a draught down to 11,5 m can be accommodated.-External links:* website...
, Bremer Vulkan
Bremer Vulkan
Bremer Vulkan AG was a great German shipbuilding company located at the Weser river in Bremen-Vegesack. It was founded in 1893 and closed in 1997 because of financial problems and mismanagement....
and Aker MTW shipyards.
On April 13, 2010 NCL
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or...
CEO Kevin Sheehan along with Macy's, Inc CEO Terry J. Lundgren
Terry J. Lundgren
Terry J. Lundgren is the CEO, Chairman of the Board, President, and Director at Macy's, Inc., the parent company of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores....
and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
CEO Jeff Zucker
Jeff Zucker
Jeffrey "Jeff" Zucker is an American television executive and former President and CEO of NBCUniversal.-Personal life:Zucker was born to Jewish-American parents in Homestead, Florida, near Miami. His father was a cardiologist, and his mother, Arlene, was a school teacher...
announced that the Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
34th Annual 4th of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
Fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
would take place on the Norwegian Epic (The fireworks were off on another Ship) The NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
One-Hour Telecast of the Event was broadcast from the Norwegian Epic.
Concept and construction
Norwegian Epic is reported to feature several innovative design features. The vessel utilizes a diesel-electric set up, with the six long-stroke MaK engines providing a total of 79.8 MW for ship propulsion and on-board electricity supply. These engines then drive high-torque density induction motors which turn two conventional (non-azimuthing) screws.In September 2008 dispute over the price of the first F3 vessel (at the time approximately 25% complete) arose between Norwegian Cruise Line and STX France. Reportedly the sale of 50% of NCL to Apollo Management
Apollo Management
Apollo Global Management, LLC is a private equity investment firm, founded in 1990 by former Drexel Burnham Lambert banker Leon Black. The firm specializes in leveraged buyout transactions and purchases of distressed securities involving corporate restructuring, special situations and industry...
in August 2007 resulted in Apollo making several changes to the designs, resulting in higher cost for the first vessel. It was reported that the construction of the second ship was unaffected by the dispute, but ultimately it was announced that the first ship will be completed and the construction of the second ship will be canceled.
The sea trial of Norwegian Epic occurred over four days beginning on February 10, 2010. During the sea trials, 300 technicians and engineers from Aker Yards France, along with 30 Norwegian Cruise Line representatives, checked more than 60 aspects of the ship's performance by running trials of the ship's speed, maneuverability, hydrodynamics and propulsion in the Atlantic Ocean.
A second round of sea trials was conducted on June 11, 2010, which finalized all the aspects of the ship.
Fire
In early May 2010, a fire broke out in a provisioning area aft on Deck 4; firefighters were able to contain the fire before it spread, with the only damage to an area of cabling. The conditions were found to be suspicious (there was no welding or other 'hot' work in the area, and the extinguishing system was non-operational), and the event was investigated by Saint-Nazaire police as an arsonArson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
attack. Despite the damage, Norwegian Epic was delivered on time.
Current & Future Cruises
The Norwegian Epic is currently sailing out of Miami to sail 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruises. After in 2012 will continue her 7-night Western Mediterranean sailings. Based out of BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
& Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...