MV Oriana (1995)
Encyclopedia
MV
Oriana is a cruise ship
of the P&O Cruises
fleet. The ship was built by Meyer Werft
at their shipyard in Papenburg
, Germany
. At 69,000 tonnes, Oriana is the sixth largest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises. She officially entered service with the company in April 1995 and was named by HM Queen Elizabeth II. Officially the flagship of the P&O Cruises fleet, Oriana holds the Golden Cockerel as the fastest ship in the fleet. She is also the longest serving ship in the fleet, as well as being the oldest.
, which served for Orient Line and P&O
from 1959 until 1986. After a lengthy campaign, P&O Cruises were permitted to allocate the new Oriana with the call sign 'GVSN', which is the same call sign as the former SS Oriana.
From 1995 when she was built, until 2000, Oriana was owned by the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company. In 2000, P&O de-merged it's cruise ship operations, with ownership of Oriana transferring to the new company, P&O Princess Cruises PLC
. In 2003, P&O Princess merged with Carnival Corporation and Oriana came under the ownership of Carnival UK. Despite these changes of ownership, Oriana has been operated by P&O Cruises throughout.
In 2006, she was re-registered to Bermuda
so that weddings could be conducted on board, and as a result, her call sign was changed to ZCDU9. From the 30 November 2011, following a refit, Oriana will become a ship exclusively for adults.
of just over 32 metres (105 ft), and a draught
of 7.9 metres (26 ft), which varies up to 8.2 m depending on load. She has a and a maximum passenger capacity of 1,928. Outside passenger deck space is 105000 square feet (9,754.8 m²). Power is provided by four MAN B&W Diesels generating a total of 47,750 kW giving her a service speed of 24 knots (47 km/h).
One of her main designers, Robert Tillberg, spent a considerable amount of the time on board SS Canberra
investigating the needs of British passengers and including as many features of Canberra possible into Oriana's design. The Oriana's single funnel is designed to have a resemblance to Canberra's twin funnels. She has a single deck of balconies reserved for suites, mini suites and staterooms to cater for the growing desire for balconies on board.
s in the world, and also the largest ship built in Germany since 1914. Since then tonnages have boomed as the economies of scale dictate that a larger ship generates more profit. Nowadays most new cruise ships have a GRT of around 100,000 tonnes. Annually undertaking World cruises with fleetmate Aurora
, she normally operates cruises within the Mediterranean, the Canaries and the Baltic seas.
In December 2006 the Oriana underwent a £12 million refit in Bremerhaven
, Germany
. Coinciding with the refit she was re-registered from Britain to Bermuda in order to enable Weddings at Sea to take place on board. Due to the success of the 'Arcadian Rhodes' restaurant on board the Arcadia
, a new Oriana Rhodes restaurant was introduced, replacing The Curzon Room. Oriana Rhodes was designed by celebrity chef Gary Rhodes
and can accommodate 96 passengers. Other modifications included the extension of the popular Lords Tavern bar, festooned with cricket
memorabilia and refurbishment of the children's play areas. In addition all of her cabins were restyled to include one of four new colour schemes, new curtains, carpets, beds, linen and duvets.
. Previously held by SS Oriana
it passed to SS Canberra
on retirement of the first Oriana in 1986. On Canberra
and sent boats out to perform the handover.
Ship prefix
A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship.Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. Civilian prefixes are often...
Oriana is a cruise ship
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...
of the P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line based at Carnival House in Southampton, England, and operated by Carnival UK. Originally a constituent of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, P&O Cruises is the oldest cruise line in the world, having operated the world's first...
fleet. The ship was built by 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:...
at their shipyard in Papenburg
Papenburg
Papenburg is a city in the district of Emsland in Lower Saxony, Germany, situated at the river Ems. It is known for its large shipyard, the Meyer-Werft, which specializes in building cruise liners.-Districts:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. At 69,000 tonnes, Oriana is the sixth largest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises. She officially entered service with the company in April 1995 and was named by HM Queen Elizabeth II. Officially the flagship of the P&O Cruises fleet, Oriana holds the Golden Cockerel as the fastest ship in the fleet. She is also the longest serving ship in the fleet, as well as being the oldest.
Overview
When she was built in 1995, Oriana was the first new ship commissioned for P&O Cruises, and the first to be designed specifically for the British cruise market. She is the longest serving ship in the fleet, having been in continuous service with the company since she was launched. She is the second ship to carry the name Oriana, and is named in tribute to the SS OrianaSS Oriana (1959)
SS Oriana was the last of the Orient Steam Navigation Company's ocean liners. She was built at Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and launched on 3 November 1959 by Princess Alexandra...
, which served for Orient Line and P&O
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
from 1959 until 1986. After a lengthy campaign, P&O Cruises were permitted to allocate the new Oriana with the call sign 'GVSN', which is the same call sign as the former SS Oriana.
From 1995 when she was built, until 2000, Oriana was owned by the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company. In 2000, P&O de-merged it's cruise ship operations, with ownership of Oriana transferring to the new company, P&O Princess Cruises PLC
P&O Princess Cruises PLC
P&O Princess Cruises plc was a shipping company that existed between 2000 and 2003, operating the P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia, A'Rosa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Ocean Village branded cruise lines...
. In 2003, P&O Princess merged with Carnival Corporation and Oriana came under the ownership of Carnival UK. Despite these changes of ownership, Oriana has been operated by P&O Cruises throughout.
In 2006, she was re-registered to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
so that weddings could be conducted on board, and as a result, her call sign was changed to ZCDU9. From the 30 November 2011, following a refit, Oriana will become a ship exclusively for adults.
Statistics
Oriana is 260 metres (853 ft) long, with a beamBeam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of just over 32 metres (105 ft), and a draught
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of 7.9 metres (26 ft), which varies up to 8.2 m depending on load. She has a and a maximum passenger capacity of 1,928. Outside passenger deck space is 105000 square feet (9,754.8 m²). Power is provided by four MAN B&W Diesels generating a total of 47,750 kW giving her a service speed of 24 knots (47 km/h).
Design and construction
P&O had wanted the new Oriana to have been built in the United Kingdom, but unfortunately there were no British shipyards left capable of completing such an order so P&O Cruises were forced to look overseas.One of her main designers, Robert Tillberg, spent a considerable amount of the time on board SS Canberra
SS Canberra
SS Canberra was an ocean liner, which later operated on cruises, in the P&O fleet from 1961 to 1997. She was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland at a cost of £17,000,000. The ship was named on 17 March 1958, after the federal capital of Australia, Canberra...
investigating the needs of British passengers and including as many features of Canberra possible into Oriana's design. The Oriana's single funnel is designed to have a resemblance to Canberra's twin funnels. She has a single deck of balconies reserved for suites, mini suites and staterooms to cater for the growing desire for balconies on board.
Service history
When she entered service Oriana was one of the largest cruise shipCruise 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...
s in the world, and also the largest ship built in Germany since 1914. Since then tonnages have boomed as the economies of scale dictate that a larger ship generates more profit. Nowadays most new cruise ships have a GRT of around 100,000 tonnes. Annually undertaking World cruises with fleetmate Aurora
MV Aurora
MV Aurora is a cruise ship of the P&O Cruises fleet. The ship was built by Meyer Werft at their shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. At 76,000 tonnes, Aurora is the fifth largest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises...
, she normally operates cruises within the Mediterranean, the Canaries and the Baltic seas.
In December 2006 the Oriana underwent a £12 million refit in Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Coinciding with the refit she was re-registered from Britain to Bermuda in order to enable Weddings at Sea to take place on board. Due to the success of the 'Arcadian Rhodes' restaurant on board the Arcadia
Arcadia (cruise ship)
Arcadia is a cruise ship in the P&O Cruises fleet. The ship was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Marghera, Italy. At 83,000 tonnes, Arcadia is the third largest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises...
, a new Oriana Rhodes restaurant was introduced, replacing The Curzon Room. Oriana Rhodes was designed by celebrity chef Gary Rhodes
Gary Rhodes
Gary Rhodes OBE is an English restaurateur, cookery writer, and chef, known for his love of British cuisine and distinctive spiked hair style ....
and can accommodate 96 passengers. Other modifications included the extension of the popular Lords Tavern bar, festooned with cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
memorabilia and refurbishment of the children's play areas. In addition all of her cabins were restyled to include one of four new colour schemes, new curtains, carpets, beds, linen and duvets.
Golden Cockerel
MV Oriana holds the Golden Cockerel trophy for the fastest ship in the P&O fleetPeninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
. Previously held by SS Oriana
SS Oriana (1959)
SS Oriana was the last of the Orient Steam Navigation Company's ocean liners. She was built at Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and launched on 3 November 1959 by Princess Alexandra...
it passed to SS Canberra
SS Canberra
SS Canberra was an ocean liner, which later operated on cruises, in the P&O fleet from 1961 to 1997. She was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland at a cost of £17,000,000. The ship was named on 17 March 1958, after the federal capital of Australia, Canberra...
on retirement of the first Oriana in 1986. On Canberra
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
and sent boats out to perform the handover.