Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: JeanPhilippe Nuel

#MEGA-YACHTCRUISESHIP – Nearly a year ago to her Irish debut the Le Boréal a mega-yacht cruiseship called to Dublin Port today, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The sleek sweeping lines of the 132 berth and 264 maximum capacity vessel is designed with French flair by Jean-Philippe Nuel and built with Italian expertise by Fincantieri. She is scheduled to depart from the capital tonight. For more information and photographs of the ship, click HERE.

When she entered service for Compagnie du Ponant, the only French cruiseship operator won for the Best New Ship of the Year 2010. The prize was rewarded by the European Cruiser Association for more visit www.eucras.com

Published in Cruise Liners
The French mega-yacht cruiseship Le Boréal docked at Dublin Port this morning on for her first visit to an Irish port, having sailed from Caen, writes Jehan Ashmore.
Le Boréal (see photo) is only a year in service and the 10,700 tonnes vessel which is operated by France's only cruise operator, Compagnie du Ponant won the 'Best New ship of the Year 2010' by the European Cruiser Association. For a nightime photo taken of the vessel click here.

At 142m long she was built by the Italian Fincantieri shipyard and can take 264 guests in 132 luxury cabins and in public spaces the interior has a distinctly French flair from the hand of designer Jean-Philippe Nuel. She is flagged in the Wallis Futuna Islands in the Polynesian French island territory in the South Pacific.

The vessel has a cruising speed of 16 knots and a crew of 139 look after her guests throughout six decks. On the top deck named Le Paris Deck an open-air bar is located aft and forward is a sun deck area. Below on Le France Deck there is a swimming pool, grill restaurant, internet station, library panoramic lounge and an adjoining open-decked forward facing terrace sited above the bridge.

On the Le Normandie DecK there is a fitness beauty corner, a massage, hair salon, leisure area and an image & photo desk in partnership with Philippe Plisson, synonymous for his dramatic scenes of Breton lighthouses. The photographer is based in La Trinité sur Mer for more click here.

The next deck is the Le Lafayette Deck which is predominately occupied by 35 Prestige staterooms each featuring private balconies and located aft is the theatre. Going down another deck is the Le Champollian Deck where there is the main lounge, shop, reception desk, excursion desk and a medical center. Finally we reach Le Liberté Deck where guests can dine at the gastronomic restaurant, the Marina.

Twenty three years ago Compagnie du Ponant was founded by her owners the CMA CGM Group, the world's third largest container shipping group. The cruise company is an integral part of French maritime heritage and owes its origins to the renowned Compagnie Générale Transatlantique French Line.

Published in Cruise Liners

Shipyards

Afloat will be focusing on news and developments of shipyards with newbuilds taking shape on either slipways and building halls.

The common practice of shipbuilding using modular construction, requires several yards make specific block sections that are towed to a single designated yard and joined together to complete the ship before been launched or floated out.

In addition, outfitting quays is where internal work on electrical and passenger facilities is installed (or upgraded if the ship is already in service). This work may involve newbuilds towed to another specialist yard, before the newbuild is completed as a new ship or of the same class, designed from the shipyard 'in-house' or from a naval architect consultancy. Shipyards also carry out repair and maintenance, overhaul, refit, survey, and conversion, for example, the addition or removal of cabins within a superstructure. All this requires ships to enter graving /dry-docks or floating drydocks, to enable access to the entire vessel out of the water.

Asides from shipbuilding, marine engineering projects such as offshore installations take place and others have diversified in the construction of offshore renewable projects, from wind-turbines and related tower structures. When ships are decommissioned and need to be disposed of, some yards have recycling facilities to segregate materials, though other vessels are run ashore, i.e. 'beached' and broken up there on site. The scrapped metal can be sold and made into other items.