I promised to bring you more pictures of Norwegian Epic being put through her paces in the Bay of Biscay during her sea trials, and here they are. The paintwork will be finished by the time the ship takes on her first passengers in June – but the shape will still be the same, and it’s still no beauty.
The superstructure of the ship is far from finished, but it wasn’t the appearance that was being tested, but the 153,000-ton vessel’s propulsion units and manouevrability.
During the sea trials, 300 technicians and engineers from STX FRANCE SA, along with 30 Norwegian Cruise Line representatives, checked more than 60 different aspects of the ship’s performance by running tests of the vessel’s speed, manoeuverability, hydrodynamics and propulsion.
“During her first time ever at sea, Norwegian Epic performed above expectations with excellent marine behavior,” said Roberto Martinoli, Norwegian’s president and COO, who was on board during the sea trials. “All tests were conducted with positive results. She is a beautiful ship with outstanding performance. Now that sea trials are completed, we can concentrate on finishing the ship and showing her to the world in June.”
A second round of sea trials is scheduled for mid-April in order to complete all tests, including final speed measurement.
More pictures in the album on Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Facebook page.
About the Author: John Honeywell
John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.
Whoever designed her should be SHOT! An insult to the name ship. Should rename her to Epically Ugly