19 May, 2016 by Juan Carlos Díaz Lorenzo

"Navigator of the Seas" Shines in Vigo

Royal Caribbean International is one of the major cruise lines in the global maritime tourism industry, and Vigo is one of its preferred ports. Yesterday, the star was the megaship "Navigator of the Seas," the fourth of five ships belonging to the "Voyager" class, which arrived at 09:00 from Lisbon on its way to Le Havre, carrying an expedition of 3,242 passengers and 1,211 crew members.

The ship made an eight-hour stop during which 25 buses departed with booked excursions to points of interest: Santiago de Compostela, Cambados, La Toja, and Bayona la Real, along with three buses for panoramic city tours. There was a good atmosphere in the historic center and the maritime-port area of the city, notes Alfredo Campos Brandón, the photographer of the accompanying images. The handling was managed by the Bergé Marítima delegation.

The "Navigator of the Seas" is the 1,347th construction from the Kvaerner Masa shipyard in Turku (Finland), and it was built in a dry dock, where it first floated on January 25, 2002. On November 18 of that year, it was officially delivered in a ceremony attended by German tennis player Steffi Graf, and on December 14, it began its first cruise from Miami.

Weighing 138,279 gross tons, it measures 311.10 m in overall length - 306 m between perpendiculars - 38.60 m in beam, and 8.60 m in draft. It can accommodate 3,835 passengers in 1,557 cabins, of which 939 are exterior - 765 with balconies - and 618 are interior. The maximum crew capacity is 1,180 people, housed in 667 cabins. It is powered by six Wärtsila 12V46C engines, with a power output of 75,600 kilowatts, allowing it to achieve a cruising speed of 23.7 knots. IMO Code 9227508.