MARITIME SUPPLIER, Nov./Dec. 2005
Ships of the Year
2005 saw the following grounsbreaking vessels make their mark...
NCL America took delivery of the Pride of America from Germany's Lloyd Werft in June. After a series of inaugural events and cruises in the UK and the US mainland, the vessel sailed to Honolulu where she will be based year around. The first US-flag passenger vessel to be completed outside of the USA, she joins NCL America's first US-flagged ship, Pride of Aloha, which began sailing seven-day round-trip Hawai'i voyages last July.
The 81,000 gt vessel was originally intended to be the first US flag ship to be built in the USA. But the project collapsed following the bankruptcy of owner, American Classic Voyages, leaving the US government underwritten vessel uncompleted at Northrop Grumman's Ingall Shipbuilding division.
It was resurrected, however, when NCL bought all the materials and equipment, along with work performed to date. There than followed the Atlantic towage of part of the hull to Lloyd Werft in December 2002. Yet the project soon ran in further trouble. Delivery had been due to take place in April 2004. But work was halted in January 2004 after an accident in the yard during which the ship took on water in a storm and sank up to deck three. The yard filed for receivership as a result of the accident and began operating under the protection of a receiver.
When work on the vessel eventually recommended, Werner Lueken, CEO of the board of Lloyd Werft, commented, "I am pleased and relieved that we have got a grip on this extraordinary difficult and, for the company, dangerous time and that we can tell our personnel and business partners: we are carrying on!" And so for Lloyd Werft, the delivery of the Pride of America gives cause to look forward, rather than back. It has now ended its insolvency status and 2005 appeared to be very much a case of business as usual. The yard continued, for instance, to be a major player in the cruise ship repair sector, winning the contract to repair the 76,152 gt P&O Cruise vessel Aurora.
