The longest go-kart track at sea required a deep engineering study
The firsts for first-in-class Norwegian Prima revealed
Norwegian Prima heralds several firsts for both its owner Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and for the cruise industry.
The cruise ship is the first of six Prima-class ships, which have previously been described by their builder Fincantieri as the “backbone of the future NCL fleet”.
And indeed, at the floating-out ceremony of the ship, NCL president and chief executive Harry Sommer says, “A ship’s float out is always a significant milestone, but this one is particularly special. Our 18th ship Norwegian Prima represents an exciting new chapter for our brand and the first vessel to be delivered in our groundbreaking new Prima-class.
We’ve worked closely with our partners at Fincantieri to deliver a truly remarkable vessel. Their passion, skill and craftsmanship has brought to life one of the most stylish and innovative ships to ever set sail. I’m thrilled we’re now one step closer to welcoming our guests on board in just 12 months’ time.”
Norwegian Prima is approximately 294 m long with a gross tonnage of 142,500. The ship will be able to accommodate 3,215 guests.
Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri received an order from NCL for the construction of four new-generation cruise ships in February 2017. An additional order was awarded to the shipbuilder for two more ships in the class in July 2018.
Fincantieri Norwegian Prima project manager Emanuele Truant tells PST about the strong relationship the shipyard has with NCL. “We began developing designs for the brands of NCL group in 2006 and, since then, our relations have constantly improved. Conceiving, designing, engineering and building a cruise vessel is a long process, entailing a close co-operation between the owner and builder for at least four to five years. The first talks about this class began years ago and the first delivery will soon take place.”
“Anew series of vessels such as Prima is an asset for both the yards and the owner, and it defines the evolution of the value proposal of the owner for many years to come.”
Different value proposition
He explains how Norwegian Prima and its sister vessels will stand out in the market. “It has been conceived as a vessel aimed at providing a different value proposition to the contemporary market, offering a wider space per passenger with respect to most of the direct competitors.
“The naval architecture of the vessel has been carefully studied, offering a distinctive skyline and a set of innovative specs and features. Innovative, fresh modern architectural design and decoration is completing the picture. The class has been conceived and is perfectly equipped for a period of enhanced competition, where passengers will seek to choose and will have the possibility of choosing the best value option among a very wide range of proposals.”
To reduce emissions and the related environmental impact, the ship uses latest generation scrubbers, while maintaining a traditional diesel propulsion. “The ship’s particular design lines make it more efficient from a hydrodynamic point of view (less consumption and therefore more environmentally friendly),” adds Mr Truant.
Traditional diesel engines are deployed, which are azipod-equipped to allow greater manoeuvrability.
There is also a NOx reduction system. The vessel has an advanced wastewater treatment system, and the ship uses latest-generation scrubbers, while it has a cold shore ironing capability to connect to onshore grids to minimise emissions while docked in port.
Longest go-kart at sea
Mr Truant says Norwegian Prima is equipped with wide outdoor areas, a large open-air promenade and innovative architectural solutions which redesign the service offered by the previous Norwegian ships.
He expands, “The concept of the funnel was redefined, displaced towards the bow. It is used as the base for a three-deck high go-kart track, the longest at sea. This required deep engineering study, adapting this product to the size of the ship, by wrapping the track around the funnel.”
The go-kart track is covered with Bolidt surfaces. While the Bolidt surface has been used on three go-kart tracks on previous Norwegian ships, the one for Norwegian Prima is especially novel.
Bolidt director maritime Jacco Van Overbeek comments, “We have done three before, but this one goes over three decks rather than two, so guests will be able to drive and compete with 10 people at the same time and really race on the cruise ship. It has highlighted corners with white blocks like in Formula One, there is a starting grid, so there is a Formula One start, and there is a black and white edged area to match the Formula one appearance. The surrounding is finished with Future Teak and Select Soft.”
Bolidt worked with go kart manufacturer RIMO to cover up the joints of the track with a special plate. This new system will ensure the steel joints can withstand the movement of the track and stop the appearance of small tracks on the surface.
Norwegian Cruise Line hired a range of designers to work on the ship, from Studio DADO to Rockwell Group, Lissoni, SMC, YSA and Tillberg Design of Sweden, among others.
Premium interiors
Studio DADO designed the ship’s staterooms. In an interview with PST’s sister publication Passenger Ship Interior & Refurbishment Review, Studio DADO founding partner and chief executive Greg Walton comments, “Everybody pushed their design and came up with the most spectacular and innovative designs. For us, involved in accommodation, we made a different kind of stateroom to one that you’ve ever seen on the sea. We took the challenge Norwegian gave us and I can’t wait for it to be delivered.”
In contrast to the trend in the industry to have interlocking staterooms, Norwegian has decided not to go down this route for Norwegian Prima. Mr Walton says, “NCL’s approach is to lift its brand into a premium brand, it has that reputation already due to food offerings and made a conscious decision that space is a luxury.”
Therefore, creating a spacious stateroom was very important. “We worked on the layout – the bathroom is probably one of the largest bathrooms in this class of ship, it feels more like a hotel bathroom than a cruise ship bathroom. The shower is one of largest, if not the largest, in the cruise ship industry.”
Storage was also a major consideration, and indeed there is plenty of storage and closet space, with Mr Walton commenting, “This has the most closet space I have ever put in a stateroom.”
He adds, “You open the door of the cabin and feel the space and feel like you have stepped into a boutique hotel in Manhattan. It is going to be a different experience and targets younger generations of travellers.”
Singling out a challenge to the design, he says, “Construction techniques for staterooms are modular and prefabricated, but we tried to minimise the look of the industrialised process. We still had to adhere to it as that is the way they are built, but we tried to elevate the design so it does not look like it has been prefabricated, by adding a layering of details.”
Fincantieri has started building the next Prima-class vessel, named Norwegian Viva.
With a gross tonnage of 142,500, Norwegian Viva will be 294-m long and carry 3,219 passengers at double occupancy.
Starting from June 2023, Norwegian Viva will embark on itineraries in the Mediterranean.
