Celebrity Eclipse is a Solstice-class cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. After she was ordered with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft in July 2006, she saw her keel laid in February 2007 and she was formally delivered in April 2010. The 122,000 GT-vessel followed sister ships Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox as the third Solstice-class ship in the fleet.
.jpg) Celebrity Eclipse in Tallinn, 2017
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Malta | |
| Name | Celebrity Eclipse |
| Owner | Celebrity Eclipse Inc.[3] |
| Operator | Celebrity Cruises |
| Port of registry |
|
| Ordered | 14 July 2006[3] |
| Builder | Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany[5] |
| Cost | US$750 million |
| Yard number | 677[4] |
| Laid down | 23 January 2009[5] |
| Launched | 28 February 2010[2] |
| Christened | 24 April 2010 at Southampton by Emma Pontin[6] |
| Acquired | 15 April 2010[1] |
| Maiden voyage | 29 April 2010[7] |
| Identification |
|
| Status | In service[8] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Solstice-class cruise ship |
| Tonnage | 121,878 GT[3] |
| Length | 317.14 m (1,040 ft 6 in)[3] |
| Beam | 36.80 m (120 ft 9 in)[3] |
| Draft | 8.30 m (27 ft 3 in)[3] |
| Decks | 17 decks[1] |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)[5] |
| Capacity | 2,850 passengers[5] |
| Crew | approx. 1,271 |
Design and construction edit
The keel of Celebrity Eclipse was laid on 14 February 2007 and she was floated out of her drydock on 28 February 2010.[5][2] The ship was delivered to Celebrity on 15 April 2010 in Eemshaven[9] and was christened by British yachtswoman Emma Pontin on 24 April 2010.[6][10]
Celebrity Eclipse is the third Solstice-class ship, preceded by Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox. Solstice-class ships were designed to save energy through their photovoltaic systems and an optimized hull design with efficient hull coatings and lighting systems using light-emitting diodes.[11]
Service history edit
2010 Iceland volcanic eruption edit
In response to the 2010 shutdown of UK airspace due to the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano, the newly completed Celebrity Eclipse returned 2,000 British tourists stranded in Spain as "an act of goodwill" by the owners, sailing from Southampton to Bilbao on 21 April and returning on 23 April.[12]
2011 crew member overboard incident edit
On 20 May 2011 a 31-year-old crew member was lost overboard 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north of Cherbourg, France; despite an extensive search the man's body was not recovered.[13]
Allegations of poor working conditions edit
In October 2012 Channel 4 TV aired a Dispatches undercover documentary that exposed poor working conditions and exploitation of workers on Celebrity Eclipse.[14] Allegations include flying under a flag of convenience to enable the ship owners to be unconstrained by employment legislation, including minimum wages and working hours. The documentary showed footage of workers who had no rest days in many months, and workers who had to pay helpers to enable them to fulfil their duties. Celebrity Cruises denied the allegations in the documentary.
COVID-19 pandemic edit
Passengers began disembarking from the ship in San Diego on 30 March 2020 after her last sailing.[15] In April, allegations surfaced that the ship had failed to protect passengers from known cases of COVID-19.[15] Passengers and crew had tested positive despite Celebrity's original public denials of any cases on board.[16] One man died in the United States four days after returning home in the United States and his wife also tested positive.[15] Another passenger, an 83-year-old man, was reported dead in Queensland, Australia, on 18 April.[17]
After disembarking the passengers the ship was placed under a no-sail order, effective through July, by the Centers for Disease Control. As of May 2020 Celebrity Eclipse and two other cruise ships were still at anchor offshore from San Diego. Approximately 700 crew were reportedly still aboard Celebrity Eclipse.[18]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Delivery of Celebrity Eclipse". Meyer Werft.
- ^ a b "Celebrity Eclipse leaves building dock". Meyerwerft website. 28 February 2010. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "Celebrity Eclipse (27760)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ a b Asklander, Micke. "M/S Celebrity Eclipse (2010)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "Keel-laying of Celebrity Eclipse". Cruise Business Review. Cruise Media Oy Ltd. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009. [dead link]
- ^ a b "Celebrity Cruises' New Celebrity Eclipse to be Named by Courageous Ocean-Racing Yachtswoman" (Press release). Celebrity Cruises. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Eclipse Cruise 2012 – Page 4:Le Havre – Simplon Postcards". simplonpc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Celebrity Eclipse Resumes Service in Vancouver". Cruise Industry News. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Delivery of Celebrity Eclipse" (Press release). Meyer Werft. 15 April 2010.
- ^ "Emma Pontin to Be Godmother of Celebrity Eclipse". Cruise Industry News. 12 April 2010.
- ^ "Delivery of Celebrity Eclipse". Meyer Werft. 15 April 2010. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ Palmer, Jo (22 April 2010). "Stranded tourists return from Bilbao on Eclipse cruise". BBC News. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Cruise ship worker feared dead after English Channel fall". BBC News. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Cruise Operator Launches Investigation After Dispatches Expos". Dispatches. Channel 4. October 2012.
- ^ a b c "Celebrity Eclipse cruise ship passenger dies from COVID-19". KUSI News. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "County confirms passenger on Celebrity Eclipse Cruise Ship tests positive for COVID-19". KUSI News. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "Queenslander dies from coronavirus while in quarantine in Sydney after being on cruise ship". ABC News (Australia). 18 May 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Weisberg, Lori. "Cruise workers are leaving San Diego". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 29 May 2020.