TURKU, Finland -- A fire that damaged Royal Caribbean's Voyager of
the Seas, which is under construction at the Kvaerner Masa-Yards
here, is not expected to delay the ship's introduction, the cruise
line said.
The 142,000-ton vessel is scheduled to debut Nov. 21 as the
world's largest cruise ship. The blaze ignited on Feb. 19 in a
storage area in the lower aft section of the ship and took
three-and-a-half hours to extinguish, Royal Caribbean said.
Two provisions areas, two galleys and a small number of guest
and crew cabins were damaged in the blaze, the line said. Its cause
is under investigation.
Royal Caribbean said it had been advised by the yard that 100
tons of steel will need to be replaced or reworked to rebuild the
affected areas. A cruise line spokesman said the yard would add
about 300 workers to make sure the vessel is finished on time.
The shipyard is liable for the damages and carries insurance for
that purpose, a shipyard spokesman said.
Another Royal Caribbean ship, the Monarch of the Seas, also
caught fire when it was under construction at the Chantiers de
l'Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France in 1990.