The Sapphire Princess in the Port of Auckland, New Zealand. |
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Sapphire Princess |
| Owner: | Carnival Corporation & plc |
| Operator: | Princess Cruises |
| Port of registry: | Bermuda |
| Builder: | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Cost: | US $400 million |
| Christened: | June 10, 2004 in Seattle |
| Identification: | IMO number: 9228186 |
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Gem class Cruise ship |
| Tonnage: | 116,000 GRT |
| Length: | 290 m (951 ft) |
| Beam: | 37 m (121 ft) |
| Decks: | 18 |
| Speed: | 22-knot (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Capacity: | 2,670 passengers |
| Crew: | 1,100 crew |
The Sapphire Princess is a cruise ship owned by Princess Cruises which entered service in 2004. It is one of the world's largest cruise ships, with a capacity of approximately 2670 passengers and is the sixth Gem Class ship built by Princess Cruises.
The ship was christened on June 10, 2004 in Seattle; it was the first cruise ship ever to be christened in that port.[1]
The Sapphire Princess (2008) travels the Alaskan inside passage route one way from May to September, Mexican Riviera and Hawaii in the winter, with a Pacific Coast cruise during the transition weeks.
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It was built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the second Princess Cruises ship to be built in a Japanese shipyard. Its only sister ship is the Diamond Princess.
Its construction was delayed when a major fire swept through the ship during construction.[2] Faced with the resulting delay, her sister ship which was being constructed at the same time assumed the role of the Diamond. This name swap assisted in keeping the delivery date of the Sapphire Princess on time, while slightly delaying the delivery of the Diamond Princess.[3] It was the second Princess Cruises ship to be built in a Japanese shipyard and lacks the "wing" or "spoiler" across the rear (which can be seen on the Grand Princess.)
Princess Cruises has announced that Sapphire Princess will be fitted with the "Movies Under the Stars" feature sometime in 2011.[4]
The diesel-electric plant consists of four diesel generators and a gas turbine generator. The diesel generators are Wärtsilä 46 series common rail engines, two of the straight 9 cylinder configuration, and two of the straight 8 cylinder configuration. The 8 and 9 cylinder engines can produce approximately 81⁄2 and 91⁄2 MW of power respectively. These engines are fueled with Heavy Fuel oil (HFO or bunker c) and Marine Gas Oil (MGO) depending on the local regulations regarding emissions, as MGO produces much lower emissions but is much more expensive. The gas turbine generator is a GE 2500, producing a peak of 25 MW of power and being fueled my MGO. This generator is much more expensive to run than the diesel generators, and is used mostly in areas, such as Alaska, where the emissions regulations are strict. It is also used when top speed is required to make it to a port in a short time period. There are two propulsion electric motors which drive fixed-pitch propellers and six thrusters used during maneuvering; three bow and three stern. The propulsion electric motors (PEMs), are conventional synchronous motors made by Alston Motors. The two motors are each rated to 20 MW and have a maximum speed of 154 rpm. (Rated speed of 0-145 rpm.)[5]
On July 25, 2009 the ship docked at Canada Place Terminal, in Vancouver, Canada, with a dead Fin Whale lodged on its bow.[6] The 70-foot (21 m) whale was found on top of the bulbous bow.[7] Preliminary reports from the Fisheries and Oceans necropsy suggest the whale might have been sick.[8]
The last time that an Alaskan cruise ship docked in Vancouver with a whale on its bow was in 1999, when a dead 20-metre (66 ft) Fin whale was found on the MV Galaxy.[9]
On July 28, 2010 Sapphire Princess had a stuck whale on the bow of the ship.[10] The 40-ft long whale became entangled on the ships bulbous bow while Sapphire Princess was sailing from Ketchikan to Juneau.[11]
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