The newly-built cruise ship has been christened by Dana Schweiger during the 824th Hamburg Port Anniversary in May. The fourth ship of Hapag-Lloyd does away with cruise traditions
After 20 months under construction ship owner Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (HLC) took delivery of its new fleet member »Europa 2« from[ds_preview] the STX France shipyard in Saint Nazaire in April this year. As the fourth ship in the fleet comprising the two smaller expedition ships »Bremen« and »Hanseatic«, the five-star-plus luxury ship »Europa« and until April 2014 the chartered »Columbus 2«, »Europa 2« appeals to a clientele of professionals and families in the luxury sector in particular.
No port called twice
The route concept allows a flexible voyage planning. The itineraries are shorter and can be combined to several weeks. Most voyages in the Mediterranean have a duration of seven days, in combination no port will be called twice. Until September she is cruising in the western Mediterranean, followed by the eastern Mediterranean until November, and then the vessel will head for the Arabian Peninsula. 2014 will start with destinations in Asia like Vietnam and Malaysia. Due to a size of 225 m in length and a draught of 6.3 m she is capable of calling at small, rarely visited ports.
Although named »Europa 2« as if being »number 2« and sister ship of »Europa« the only five-star-plus ship in the world (according Berlitz Cruise Guide 2013) there are distinct differences in concept: »Europa 2« is a casual luxury ship, which does away with cruise traditions like the captain’s dinner, while the older sister »Europa« represents classic luxury. She offers a number of bilingual cruises each year, while on »Europa 2« all cruises will be international conducted in both, German and English, to meet the requirements of an international target group. Furthermore meal times on the »Europa« are fixed compared to arbitrary times within opening times of respective restaurants on »Europa 2«. For a maximum number of 516 passengers a total of 251 all-balcony suites in eight different categories are available – from »Veranda Suite« measuring 28 m2 to the »Owner’s Suite« with 99 m2. Seven family apartments consist of two separate cabins that are connected with each other. Eight restaurants and six bars are dedicated to serving up culinary diversity and a large spa and fitness area accommodate the well-being trend on cruises.
Energy efficiency
»Europa 2« is the first cruise ship equipped with a SCR system (Selective Catalytic Reduction), which reduces the emission of nitrogen oxides by almost 95 %. The optimised hull saves 18 % of fuel in comparison with ships of the same size. An intelligent routing management and »renouncing the last knots« results in fuel-reduction of a third. The use of LED and energy recovery systems in combination with the air conditioning add to energy savings. In advance to regulations HLC equipped the »Europa 2« with a waste water treatment system.
HLC/KW
