MS Azura

MS Azura is a cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises and owned by Carnival plc. The ship was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. She officially entered service with the company in April 2010 and was named by Darcey Bussell.[4]

Azura in Tortola, BVI on January 30, 2020.
History
Bermuda
NameAzura
Owner Carnival Corporation & plc[1]
Operator P&O Cruises
Port of registry
BuilderFincantieri, Italy
Costmillion
Yard number6166[2]
Laid down27 October 2008
Launched26 June 2009
Christened10 April 2010
Completed1 April 2010
Maiden voyage12 April 2010
In service2010
Identification
StatusIn service
Notes[3]
General characteristics
Class and typeVentura-class cruise ship
Tonnage115,055 GT
Length290.0 m (951 ft 5 in)
Beam36.00 m (118 ft 1 in)
Draught8.7 m (28 ft 7 in)
Decks19; 14 passenger accessible
Installed powerSix Wärtsilä diesel engines, four 12V46C and two 8L46C, 67.2 MW total
PropulsionTwo 21 MW (28,350 HP) electric motors with two fixed-pitch propellers, three bow thrusters, three stern thrusters
Speed24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Capacity
  • 3,096 double occupancy
  • 3,597 maximum passengers
Crew1,226
Notes[1][2][4]

Delivery

Azura is a Grand-class ship, with a modified design which distinguishes her from early ships of the same class. Construction of Azura began in 2008 when her keel was officially laid on 27 October 2008.[5] A ceremonial float out took place on Friday 26 June 2009, with Amanda Dowds, wife of the ship's captain, acting as her godmother.[6] The formal handover took place on 26 March 2010.

Maiden voyage

Azura's maiden voyage began on 31 March 2010, when she departed from the Fincantieri shipyard en route to Southampton. She arrived in the UK on 7 April 2010. Azura's first cruise with passengers began on 12 April 2010.[7][8]

Naming
Azura at the Ocean Terminal ahead of her christening

Azura was formally named on 10 April 2010, by godmother Darcey Bussell. As well as performing the traditional bottle breaking ceremony, as a former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet, Bussell presented a dance performance by Royal Ballet School as part of the celebrations. Azura was originally registered in her homeport of Southampton, UK, but in November 2011 she was re-registered to Hamilton, Bermuda to enable wedding ceremonies to be conducted on board.[9]

Facilities

The ship's facilities include a dance floor in the atrium, a show lounge and an interpretation of a London pub.[10] An open-air cinema screen is situated in front of the funnel.[11]

In total, the ship has eleven restaurants and eating areas, twelve bars and places to drink, four pools, a gym, two spas, outdoor cinema, a theatre and two show lounges.[12]

Design, refits and COVID-19

Azura is the only Grand-class ship to feature a "Duck Tail" stern.

She completed a minor refit in April 2015 at Blohm and Voss's shipyard in Hamburg.[13] This included painting P&O's large Union flag design on to the bow, repainting the funnel in blue with P&O's "sunburst" logo plus minor interior updates.

Azura was berthed out of use at Port of Tyne International Passenger Terminal, North Shields, Tyne and Wear from 21 January 2021 to June due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She left for Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 29 June 2021 at 06:45 BST where she remained until returned to service.

References
  1. "M/S AZURA" (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
  2. "Cruise Ships > 6166". Fincantieri. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  3. "Vessel Database - Discover more than 510000 ships". Digital-seas.com. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  4. "P&O Cruises | Azura Webcam | Azura Cruise Ship". Pocruises.com. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  5. Hamilton, Keith (27 October 2008). "City's latest cruise ship to be named Azura". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
  6. "P&O Cruises Floats Azura in Italy - P&O Cruises". Cruise Critic. 2009-06-26. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  7. Archived May 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  8. Archived February 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Equasis - Azura". Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  10. "P&O Azura is to launch with Added Spice!". Go Cruise With Jane. 26 November 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  11. "P&O Azura: SeaScreen". Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  12. Keaton, Rhona (1 April 2010). "P&O Cruises: Amazing Azura". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  13. "Electrical fault aboard P&O Cruises' Azura delays return to…".
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