The Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines vessel arrived at A&P on February 23 for maintenance to its Azipods and bow thrusters, as well as for a new application of underwater paint, supported by more than 500 members of A&P Falmouth’s workforce, including 32 apprentices.
It left the shipyard overnight on March 7 to sail for Newcastle where it will be based during spring and summer.
Peter Deer, MD, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, thanked the yard for taking good care of its flagship, stating, ‘Our ships and our team have a longstanding relationship with the community of Falmouth. We know it is a port that our guests love to explore with us, and are looking forward to offering further visits this year.’
He continued, ‘In addition, we are really pleased to be further supporting the Falmouth economy by working with the team at A&P to maintain and refurbish our ships, and in particular providing their apprentices with new experience and opportunity.
‘It is farewell for now, but we are already looking forward to returning with Balmoral for cruise calls in the spring.’
Helping drive prosperity in South West of England
It is the second time in recent years that Fred. Olsen has supported the Falmouth shipyard, with Balmoral undergoing a programme of work there in May 2022, which included steel inserts, ship side valves, tunnel thruster overhaul and underwater paint.
‘Projects such as these help us to sustain our workforce, apprenticeship programme and supply chain, which drives prosperity and adds real social value to the South West of England,’ asserted A&P Falmouth CEO David McGinley. ‘We are delighted to continue our partnership with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, welcoming their cruise ships for dry dockings across our group.’
Calls at Falmouth
Balmoral will make two calls at Falmouth, in April and May.
The first call features on the five-night ‘Easter on the River Seine’ cruise, sailing roundtrip from Southampton. It gets underway April 6.
The second is included in the five-night ‘Bank Holiday Escape to Cornwall and Scilly Isles’ cruise, also sailing round-trip from Southampton. It commences May 26.
