MV Arcadia
ex Queen Victoria
Arcadia – © Cees Bustraan (Willemstad, 21/01/2018)
Steel twin Azipod ‘Vista Class’ motor vessel built in 2005 by Fincantieri – Cantieri Nav. Italiani S.p.A. Porto Marghera, Italy (Yard No 6078) as a Passenger (Cruise) ship for P&O Cruises
Technical Data
- Cost: $ 400 million
- Length: 289.90 m (overall) m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 32.20 m
- Depth: m
- Draught: 8 m
- Tonnage: 83781 – 84342 gross/ net/7200t deadweight
- Engines: Six Wärtsilä diesel engines (4 x 16 cyl. ZAV40S, 2 x 12 cyl. ZAV40S)
- Power: 51840 kW/69,520 hp
- Propulsion: 2 x ABB “AMZ 1250ZM12 LAEZ” Azipod units (17.6MW combined)
- Speed: 22 knots
- Passenger Decks: 11
- Capacity: 1968 passengers (2338 max)
- Crew: 976/880
- Call Sign: ZCDN2
- MMSI Number: 310459000
- IMO Number: 9226906
- Port of Registry: Hamilton/Bermuda
- Sister Ships: Oosterdam, Zuiderdam, Noordam, Westerdam
Current AIS Location
Please note that this specific vessels AIS position data may be over an hour old and that the vessels position will only be displayed when it is within range of the VesselFinder AIS system. The AIS transponder/ship position data featured on this page is intended for information purposes only and it is in no way related to the 'Safety of Navigation at Sea'. All the AIS ship position data featured within this article is provided by VesselFinder and we are therefore not responsible for its content or its accuracy.
History
2000: Ordered by Holland America Line as their fifth Vista-class vessel.
March 15th 2002: Allocated to Cunard Line..
July 12th 2003: Keel struck under the name of QUEEN VICTORIA for delivery to Cunard Line.
May 4th 2004: Shortly before her launch the decision was made to transfer the ship to the P&O Cruises fleet as ARCADIA. As a result, the vessel has a Cunard-style mast similar to those found on Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2. She also sports a modified Queen Elizabeth 2-style funnel.
June 26th 2004: Launched.
March 29th 2005: Delivered to Carnival plc, Hamilton, Bermuda. (Management P&O Cruises, Hamilton, Bermuda).
April 12th 2005: Officially named in Southampton by the double Olympic gold medalist Dame Kelly Holmes. Following the ceremony the embarked guests were treated to a gala dinner and an evening of entertainment to celebrate the ship’s entry into service.
April 15th 2005: Departed from the Mayflower Cruise Terminal, Southampton on her maiden voyage, a 16-night cruise to the Mediterranean.
© Aleksi Lindström
November 26th 2008 – December 20th 2008: Refit at Lloyd Werft, Hamburg, Germany. This refurbishment saw the addition of new staterooms with private balconies added to the aft end of the ship. This additional superstructure resulted in an enlarged deck area around the already popular Aquarius Pool.
© Simonwp (Copenhagen, 01/07/2012)
2014: Announcement made:
“P&O Cruises is to change the livery of its ships with a bold new look which celebrates its heritage and its place as Britain’s favourite cruise company and the longest version of the Union Jack ……..From the end of this year, the company’s eight ships will begin to embrace on their bow a bold new Union Flag, styled in a contemporary way which looks to the future, while celebrating the past.”
© Willem Oldenburg (Ijmuiden, 17/06/2015)
Arcadia outbound from Southampton heading for Bergen in Norway (15/07/15) © Ray Goodfellow
© Cees Bustraan (Willemstad, 15/01/2017)
© Gena Anfinov (Klaipeda, 08/08/2019)
April 14th 2020: Having arrived in Southampton, after 31 days at sea, she sailed to Dover.
April 15th 2020: Arrived in Dover for indefinite lay-up
© Paul Jolliffe (Dover Strait Shipping)
© Mike Jackson (Dover Strait Shipping)
© Steve Salter
May – June 2020: Continued to use the port however, periodically, made extended journeys (Ie Weymouth Bay etc) possibly to avoid the removal of Classification and Flag State requirements.
All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Gena Anfimov, Cees Bustraan, Mike Jackson, Paul Jolliffe & Nigel Scutt (Dover Strait Shipping), Aleksi Lindström, Willem Oldenburg, Steve Salter and Simonwp for their assistance in producing this feature.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
