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CUNARD flagship Queen Mary 2 is to be drydocked for six days at Blohm+Voss’ Hamburg yard in May to remove a propulsor pod damaged when leaving Port Everglades last month.
Repairs to the pod, which is due to be replaced in further drydocking in November, will mean the cancellation of two voyages.
A 12-day Mediterranean cruise which was due start on May 5 will now become a six-day cruise to the Norwegian fjords, with passengers who opt to take the six-day cruise being offered refunds of up to 70% of their fares plus onboard credits of $250 per passenger.
Alternatively, they can opt for a full refund or the possibility of booking one of the other three 12-day Mediterranean cruises planned.
The QM2 will return to drydock on November 11 and the transatlantic cruise scheduled for that date has been deferred for a week. This has resulted in the cancellation of a one-week Caribbean cruise.
Port calls at Fort Lauderdale and Salvador in Brazil are being cancelled when the ship heads towards New York in April, with a substitute call in the Virgin Islands.
A spokesman for Cunard would not comment on the likely cost of repairs to the ship. The QM2 spent 18 days in drydock in Hamburg before departing on a 38-day South American cruise, during which it was damaged after hitting the side of the channel while leaving Fort Lauderdale.
Rolls-Royce Marine supplied the QM2’s four 21.5MW Mermaid podded propulsors in combination with Alstom Powers Motors.
The ship is capable of 25 knots on three pods, according to a Blohm+Voss statement yesterday.
An investigation by both the US Coast Guard and Cunard into the accident is continuing, the Cunard spokesman said. The ship was under tow and had a pilot on board at the time.
Cost of repairs aside, the damage has already proved expensive, with passenger pressure resulting in their being offered full refunds for three missed port calls following the accident.
Disgruntled passengers were threatening a class action ahead of Cunard’s decision to offer a full refund for the missed port calls.
Rgds,Andrew
Will the removal of one pod affect in any way her transatlantic crossings and her 6 day schedule?
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