P&O Cruises gets the keys to Britannia

On Sunday 22nd February 2015 P&O Cruises  officially took delivery of Britannia  Britain's newest and largest passenger ship from her shipbuilders  Fincantieri in Italy.

At  £473m Britannia was 5% cheaper than expected because of the strength of sterling against the euro. The original budget for the 141,000-tonne cruise liner, with accommodation for 3,600 passengers and 1,400 crew, had been £500m.

P&O also announced on the same day that Britannia is fully booked for 70% of her first season.

When she arrives in Southampton on March 6th she will be the only P&O ship registered in Britain. The decision has increased speculation that the Queen could name the vessel on March 10th.




David Dingle, chairman of Carnival UK, claimed that Britannia – with its impressive Union Jack, the biggest of its kind in the world, covering the hull – was the “greenest” ship afloat. Britannia’s fuel consumption will be almost 20% below that of the rest of the fleet.

Also attending the ceremony were Micky Arison -  Chairman of Carnival Corporation, Fincantieri’s  CEO Giuseppe Bono, Three of P&O's Food Hero's - Olly Smith, Eric Lanlard and Charlie Turnbull.


In the flag exchanging ceremony, which was video-taped and then shown to a live audience of Italian guests and UK press, P&O Britannia was officially handed over to P&O Cruises.

You can see two videos below of the Handover ceremony:

 Exchange of flags: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP383SsOB2I

Official Hand over: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By53Enp9LK0

It is one of the most exciting ships ever built for the UK market, and as the Fincantieri slogan put it: Britannia is British style – Italian heart.



I for one am very much looking forward to Stepping onboard this fantastic ship on March 14th for Her Maiden Voyage to the Med.

Photo's by P&O Cruises.