How to Stretch a Cruise Ship!

Bigger ships are sought-after because demand for holiday cruises is growing rapidly worldwide.  According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), passenger numbers rose to 22 million in 2014 from 13.1 million 10 years earlier.  A recent survey of cruise passengers found that the trips were increasingly popular with younger travelers and suggested that the all-inclusive nature of cruises, making it easier planning and cost management were among the reasons why they preferred them as holidays.

Building a brand new ship from scratch is enormously expensive – from several hundred million dollars to more than $1 bn (£660 m) for the largest ships.

Alternatively, you could always cut the one you already have in two and fit an extender section. The enlargement process is usually done in 3 stages.  During the first stage, circular saws and torches are used to cut the ship.  The construction crew cut through pretty much everything, including the outer hull (which is made from steel), the inner hull (which is constructed to be absolutely watertight), the ventilation system as well as thousands of cables and pipes.  That whole process can take two days.  During the second stage, the engineers move the two sections of the ship away from each other and positioned a section with furnished rooms between them.  In the third and final stage of the process, the construction crew reattach all the pipes, cables and everything else that was cut, thereby uniting the 3 pieces of the enlarged ship.

Silversea is the latest cruise company to unveil plans for its first-ever ship lengthening.  The turnkey transformation of ’Silver Spirit’ will take place early next year at Fincantieri’s Palermo shipyard.

Starting in March 2018, ’Silver Spirit’ will be lengthened by inserting a pre-built 49 ft long mid-section housing six Silver Suites, 26 Veranda Suites and two Panorama Suites. Other technical upgrades will also undertaken.

Watch an interesting time lapse video below of a cruise ship cut into half for an extension of 31.2 meters. This special procedure was carried out at Blohm+Voss Shipyards, Germany where the cruise ship Balmoral was extended 31.2 meters from original  163 meters. The actual work took place in 2007.