LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
The Celebrity Eclipse cruised down the River Ems in Germany yesterday - and it was a tight squeeze to say the least!
The 42km journey (along a waterway normally reserved for canal barges) would have taken between 12-15 hours, travelling at a maximum speed of 4km per hour.
At the tightest points along the way, there were as little as 0.6096 metres (2ft) between the locks and the 36.88 metres-wide (121ft) Celebrity Eclipse.
Captain Panagiotis Skylogiannis explained:
“No cruise ship Captain ever expects to encounter the challenges that the conveyance presents – whilst I am accustomed to docking in tight ports, I prefer to be chasing sunshine in the open sea. Celebrity Eclipse is only a few metres slimmer than the narrowest lock we have to navigate which really isn’t much room, particularly when the president of company is onboard and keeping a close watch!”
This kind of operation allows the Captain to test its manoeuvrability at low speeds to the limit. Due to the tight gaps navigated, the bends of the river and the volume of water required to accommodate the draft of the ship, the conveyance can only take place when tidal barriers are closed at high tide and winds are extremely calm. Celebrity Cruises and Meyer Werft carefully monitor the position of the moon and tidal conditions to identify the precise moment when the depth of the river is ideal for the ship – sometimes with only mere centimetres between the ship and the river bed.
Here are a couple of Youtube videos taken by onlookers (with very dramatic music!)
The Eclipse will be based at Southampton after the big launch.
Is anyone booked?
Reply With Quote
.
Bookmarks