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Celebrity Infinity

Celebrity Infinity
Celebrity Infinity docked in Lerwick, 2014
History
Malta
Name
  • 2001–2007: Infinity
  • 2007–present: Celebrity Infinity
OwnerRoyal Caribbean Group
OperatorCelebrity Cruises
Port of registry
OrderedFebruary 1998[1]
Builder
Yard numberS31[3]
Launched9 June 2000[4]
Sponsored bySolveig Wilhelmsen[5][6]
Christened29 April 2001[5]
Acquired25 February 2001[7]
Maiden voyage3 March 2001[8]
In service2001–present
Identification
General characteristics
Class & typeMillennium-class cruise ship
Tonnage
Length964.6 ft (294.0 m)
Beam105.6 ft (32.2 m)
Draught26 ft (8 m)
Decks12
Installed power
Propulsion2 × 19 MW Rolls-Royce/Alstom Mermaid azimuth thrusters
Speed24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Capacity2,170
Crew999

GTS Celebrity Infinity (formerly Infinity) is a Millennium-class cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. She measures 90,940 GT and 294 m (965 ft) long, and holds a capacity of 2,170 passengers across 12 decks. After Royal Caribbean signed a letter of intent with French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique in February 1998, she was floated out in June 2000 and delivered in February 2001, making her the second Millennium-class ship to join the fleet following Celebrity Millennium.

Construction

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In February 1998, Royal Caribbean signed a letter of intent with French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique to build two new ships, with an option for two more, that would make up a new class of ships, dubbed the Millennium class.[1] Designed to be an evolution from Celebrity's Century-class ships, the two ships were initially planned to measure 85,000 GT, have a guest capacity of approximately 1,900, and be delivered in June 2000 and January 2001, respectively.[1]

In March 2000, Celebrity announced the second Millennium-class ship would be named Infinity.[9] On 9 June 2000, she was launched from the shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.[4] On 25 February 2001, Celebrity took delivery of Infinity in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after she embarked on a transatlantic crossing from Saint-Nazaire.[7] Formal naming festivities were held on 29 April 2001 in Los Angeles, where Infinity was christened by Solveig Wilhelmsen.[5][6]

Service history

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The ship's maiden voyage was originally scheduled for 3 February 2001, a 14-day cruise from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale through the Panama Canal before arriving in San Diego for her inaugural season.[9] However, the voyage was later postponed by one month to 3 March 2001.[8][7] Her inaugural season also included cruises to Hawaii[10] before she headed to Alaska in summer 2001, joining fleet-mate Mercury.[11]

Since 2002, she has also cruised to South America,[12] Antarctica,[13] the Caribbean from San Juan, Puerto Rico[14] and Fort Lauderdale,[15] and Europe from Harwich[16] and throughout the Mediterranean.[17]

On 3 June 2016, while docking in Ketchikan, Alaska, the ship crashed into the dock on her port side, causing a 10-to-15-foot (3.0 to 4.6 m) scrape along her bow above the waterline and heavily damaged the dock.[18][19] Winds were reportedly gusting to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) from the ship's starboard side at the time of the accident, which accelerated the ship's approach. There were no reported injuries or pollution caused by the incident.[18][19] In addition to the damage to the ship, the collision caused $2–3 million in damage to the dock.[20] The ship was quickly repaired and resumed sailing following the collision.[21]

In summer 2020, Celebrity Infinity was scheduled to sail in the Mediterranean,[22] but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the season.[23] Following the cruise line's pause in operations, she is scheduled to resume sailing from Port Everglades on 25 June 2022, sailing weekly Caribbean voyages.[24] Beginning in summer 2023, the ship will be stationed year-round in the Mediterranean, making it the first time Celebrity will have a year-round operation in the region.[25]

COVID-19 pandemic

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Further information: COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships

On 23 March 2020, two crew members reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus, raising concerns among crew members of their safety while on board.[26][27] On 14 April 2020, nearly two weeks after a crew member died aboard the ship, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of over a thousand Celebrity employees over the company's allegedly inadequate response measures to outbreaks aboard its ships.[28]

Design and specifications

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Along with her sister ships, Infinity is equipped with a turbo-electric COGAS power plant.[3] The COGAS plant consists of gas and steam turbines, with the latter being driven by steam generated using the heat from the exhaust of the gas turbines.[3] In this way, some of the otherwise lost energy is reclaimed and the specific fuel consumption of the plant is decreased.[3] Propulsion is provided by two "Mermaid" azimuth pod-propulsion units from Kamewa and Cegelec (now Alstom).[3] The ship also has three bow thrusters.[3]

Recurring pod-propulsion issues

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Infinity and her sister ships have experienced problems with the pod-propulsion system. Months following her delivery, Celebrity reported Infinity began experiencing problems with a faulty ball bearing in the ship's starboard propulsion unit; it necessitated an emergency dry dock repair in June 2001 in Victoria, British Columbia, which resulted in cancelled sailings.[29][30] In April 2002, more dry dock repairs were made to the ship's propulsion pods, as they were reportedly showing premature wear, preventing her from cruising at maximum speed.[31] In a third dry dock in February 2003, Celebrity had all ball-bearing units on Infinity replaced, forcing the cancellation of two sailings.[32] A fourth dry dock took place in April 2004 to replace a thrust-bearing propulsion unit.[33][34] A fifth dry dock was held in March 2005 to replace the ship's starboard thrust bearing unit.[35] A sixth dry dock was performed in September 2006 to repair one of the ship's propulsion pods.[36]

Numerous unsuccessful repairs led Royal Caribbean to file a lawsuit against Rolls-Royce and Alstom in August 2003 for $300 million to recover lost revenue and the costs associated with the faulty pods on all four Millennium-class ships.[34][37][38] Royal Caribbean settled the lawsuit in January 2010.[39]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Giant Royal Caribbean Ship Order". Cruise Industry News. 3 February 1998.
  2. ^ a b Asklander, Micke. "GTS Infinity (2001)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Cudahy, Brian J. (2001). The Cruise Ship Phenomenon in North America. Centreville, Maryland: Cornell Maritime Press. pp. 150–228. ISBN 0-87033-529-4.
  4. ^ a b "Infinity (9189421)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Celebrity Cruises Welcomes New Infinity". Marine Link. 30 April 2001.
  6. ^ a b "Celebrity Infinity Fact Sheet" (PDF). Celebrity Cruises.
  7. ^ a b c "Celebrity Cruises Welcomes New Infinity". Marine Link. Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. 26 February 2001.
  8. ^ a b "Celebrity Cruises delays Infinity launch". Travel Weekly. 11 October 2000.
  9. ^ a b "Celebrity Cruises selects Infinity name". Travel Weekly. 1 March 2000.
  10. ^ "Travel Weekly's Hawaii E-Letter: June 25, 2001". Travel Weekly. 25 June 2001.
  11. ^ "From yachts to megas: Lines sailing in 2001". Travel Weekly. 29 November 2000.
  12. ^ "Travel Weekly's Cruise E-Letter: March 25, 2003". Travel Weekly. 24 March 2003.
  13. ^ "Celebrity Infinity to sail to Antarctica in 2010". Travel Weekly. 13 May 2008.
  14. ^ "Celebrity to blanket Caribbean for peak season". Travel Weekly. 27 August 2001.
  15. ^ "Celebrity swaps ships on South America, Caribbean itineraries". Travel Weekly. 1 September 2005.
  16. ^ Tunney, Donna (23 February 2012). "Celebrity Infinity headed for England in 2013". Travel Weekly.
  17. ^ "Celebrity Announces 2019 Europe Programs". Cruise Industry News. 17 October 2017.
  18. ^ a b Shedlock, Jerzy (3 June 2016). "Video: Cruise ship crashes into Ketchikan dock". Alaska Dispatch News. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  19. ^ a b Stieghorst, Tom (6 June 2016). "Coast Guard investigating Celebrity Infinity dock collision in Ketchikan". Travel Weekly.
  20. ^ Walker, Jim (4 June 2016). "Celebrity Infinity Crashes Into Ketchikan Dock". Cruise Law News. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  21. ^ Kalosh, Anne (4 June 2016). "Celebrity Infinity repaired and sailing after striking Ketchikan pier". Seatrade Cruise News.
  22. ^ "Celebrity's 2020 Europe has Apex, Edge, new Lisbon cruises, Turkey return". Seatrade Cruise News. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  23. ^ Simms, Richard (23 June 2020). "Royal Caribbean Cancels Cruises Through September 15". Cruise Radio.
  24. ^ "Celebrity Infinity to Sail in Caribbean for Summer 2022". Cruise Industry News. 29 January 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  25. ^ Zelinski, Andrea (4 March 2022). "Celebrity Cruises to sail year-round in the Mediterranean". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  26. ^ "Celebrity Infinity Crew Members Tests Positive for COVID-19 | Crew Center". crew-center.com.
  27. ^ Kosik, Alison. "Crew member aboard Celebrity Infinity raises concerns over whether cruise ship unnecessarily put crew at risk". CNN.
  28. ^ Maile, Amanda; Kaji, Mina (14 April 2020). "Employees sue Celebrity Cruises over COVID-19 response". ABC News. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  29. ^ "Celebrity dry-docks 2 ships due to technical problems". Travel Weekly. 7 June 2001.
  30. ^ "Victoria Shipyard Racks Up Cruise Ship Jobs". Marine Link. 8 May 2002.
  31. ^ "Celebrity cancels Summit, Infinity sailings". Travel Weekly. 20 March 2002.
  32. ^ "Celebrity cancels two Infinity sailings". Travel Weekly. 29 January 2003.
  33. ^ Tobin, Rebecca (12 March 2004). "Pod prob forces Celebrity to swap itineraries". Travel Weekly.
  34. ^ a b Tobin, Rebecca (24 March 2004). "Pod issues force Celebrity to move Infinity to drydock". Travel Weekly.
  35. ^ "Celebrity pulls Infinity for propulsion fix". Travel Weekly. 23 March 2005.
  36. ^ "Celebrity's Infinity to miss Alaska voyage for propulsion fix". Travel Weekly. 10 August 2006.
  37. ^ "Celebrity Files $300M Suit Against Rolls Royce, Alstom Power Conversion". MarineLink. 7 August 2003.
  38. ^ Stieghorst, Tom (30 August 2013). "Celebrity recounts decisions after Millennium breakdown". Travel Weekly.
  39. ^ Jainchill, Johanna (11 January 2010). "Royal Caribbean and Rolls-Royce reach settlement". Travel Weekly.
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