Meyer Werft, the shipyard responsible for building the Carnival Jubilee, provided an update on the ship’s construction progress on February 14, 2023. The ship is the third Excel-class vessel in the Carnival Cruise Line fleet and is currently under construction in Papenburg, Germany.
According to the update, the construction of the Carnival Jubilee is progressing well, with the shipyard recently completing the installation of the last large block. The stern of the ship is now complete, marking a significant step towards the completion of the cruise ship. Meyer Werft is now focusing on the interior areas of the Carnival Jubilee.
Steady Progress for Carnival Jubilee
Carnival Jubilee is a 182,800-gross-ton cruise ship being built for Carnival Cruise Line at the Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. Construction of the vessel began in March 2022, with the official cutting of the first steel. The keel was laid down in July 2022, and construction is progressing at an incredible speed.
According to the update from Meyer Werft: “The Carnival Jubilee has reached another important milestone: The last large block has been put in place. Now the stern is also complete, and an important step towards the completion of the cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line has been taken.
“With a lot of commitment and shipbuilding passion, we are now concentrating on the work in the interior areas of the Carnival Jubilee because we are proud to build this great ship in Papenburg.”
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The last large block has been placed, meaning the vast majority of metal works are now completed, and the ship now has much of what will be her final layout. Cruise ships are built in blocks to simplify the construction process.
Large sections of the ship, such as cabins, engine rooms, and public areas, are built separately and then assembled together, like a giant Lego set, in a dry dock. This approach allows for more efficient construction.
The shipyard will now be able to start work on interior outfitting, including laying down vast amounts of cables, building up cabins, lying down carpeting, furnishing the vessel, and much more. However, a big part of that will not happen in Papenburg.
Ems River Passage
Carnival Jubilee will go through a few more steps than usual for other shipyards. Carnival Jubilee will sail from the Meyer Werft down the Ems river to Bremerhaven for her final outfitting.
Cruise ships are moved from the Papenburg shipyard to Bremerhaven for interior outfitting because Meyer Werft does not have a harbor that connects directly to the ocean. Instead, the shipyard is located on the Ems River, which is not deep enough to accommodate large ships at full capacity.
The Ems River has several bridges and locks that would need to be modified or removed to allow the passage of large fully-loaded cruise ships, which is not feasible. The transit is a complex and time-consuming process that requires the ship’s funnel and other structures to be removed and reattached.
Another reason is that the port facilities in Bremerhaven are better equipped to handle the outfitting and testing of large cruise ships. Bremerhaven has more extensive and more advanced shipyard facilities and deep-water berths that can accommodate the large draft of cruise ships.
This allows for easier and more efficient loading and unloading of materials and equipment and the safe and secure docking of the vessels during outfitting and testing.
Delay in delivery
Carnival Cruise Line announced in December last year that the delivery of Carnival Jubilee would be slightly delayed due to supply chain disruptions. The ship’s maiden voyage was originally scheduled to sail from Southampton in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2023.
However, all sailings from October 30, 2023, through and including December 16, 2023, sailing have been canceled. The new maiden voyage of Carnival Jubilee is now scheduled to sail from Galveston, Texas, on December 23, 2023.
The ship will be based year-round in Galveston and will operate seven-day cruises to the Western Caribbean, departing every Saturday. The ports of call include Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico and Mahogany Bay on Isla Roatan, Honduras.
Carnival Jubilee will have the capacity to welcome 5,347 guests at double occupancy and as many as 6,631 guests when fully booked. She is the sister ship of Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration. The cruise ship will be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which is considered cleaner than traditional marine fuels.
