P&O Cruises reveals name of new ship

P&O Cruises will name its newest, £500 million cruise ship Britannia.

Speaking today in London, P&O Cruises & Carnival UK chief executive officer David Dingle said: "Britannia is a most fitting name for the newest addition to P&O Cruises, which, with its long and famous heritage, remains Britain’s favourite cruise line.

"Britannia will capture both the contemporary spirit of P&O Cruises and the spirit of Britain today."

The 3,600 passenger ship is scheduled to enter service in spring 2015. It will take the P&O Cruises brand forward, said Dingle, "rather like Oriana did when it ushered in modern British cruising, and Ventura did as the first superliner for the British market.

"This is a greater evolution," he said.

"Today’s Britain is a place of increasing style and sophistication, optimism and excitement. Britannia will reflect that feeling and will mark a new era of growth and success for the cruise industry.

"Britannia will underpin P&O Cruises unique commitment to building ships specifically designed to anticipate the tastes of today’s Britain. It will be a modern classic, a ship for this and future generations offering authentic travel by sea in an enduringly contemporary setting."

The ship will increase P&O Cruises’ capacity by 24%.  At 141,000 tons it will be 25,000 tons larger than P&O Cruises’ previous newest ship.

It is being designed throughout by London-based Richmond International, with the stated aim of attracting both newcomers to P&O and existing passengers.

The company said it would combine the classic features of ships such as Oriana and Aurora, the choice and variety of Ventura and Azura, as well as many yet to be announced new concepts in technology and entertainment.

"Dining options will reflect the inexorable rise of British cooking on the world stage," it added.
   
Following travelling trends and customer research it will also have more single cabins than any other cruise ship, many of them with balconies, it claimed.

"At the same time, the ship will be our greenest yet and will be designed to deliver much greater levels of operational and environmental efficiency.  A new hull form will reduce unit fuel consumption by up to 20%," Dingle continued:

"Whilst the name Britannia has great historical resonance with P&O Cruises, most importantly, the ship will celebrate the forward-looking Britain of today and the future."

There have been two previous ships named Britannia connected to the company. The first entered service in 1835 for the General Steam Navigation Company, which went on to become The Peninsular Steam Navigation Company.

The second, which entered service in 1887, was one of four ships ordered by the company to mark the Golden Jubilee of both Queen Victoria and P&O itself. The young Winston Churchill sailed on this Britannia with his hussar regiment to Bombay in 1888 and then went on to fight on the North West Frontier.