Ahead of today’s official press release, we’re sharing the news that P&O Cruises has announced plans to take delivery of Iona “before the autumn” and that following discussions with the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg Germany, Iona’s as yet unnamed sister ship will be delivered in December 2022.
The largest cruise ship ever built for the UK market, Iona will be the first British cruise ship to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Since the steel cutting ceremony back in May 2018, we’ve kept you updated on Iona on The Insider – take a look back through all our exciting headlines we’ve shared.
P&O Cruises president, Paul Ludlow, said:
Whilst our operations are currently paused, we are delighted that we have more clarity on the arrival of these two new ships.
“The final outfitting of Iona is almost complete and is looking stunning and we will take delivery of her before the autumn. We also now know that her sister ship will join the fleet at the end of 2022.
“Both ships are eagerly anticipated by our Guests and we are seeing strong demand for the future. The space on these two ships will allow for extraordinary experiences; visual entertainment displays; new dining concepts and many new areas for relaxation and indulgence.”
As P&O Cruises operations are paused until the middle of October, plans are yet to be finalised on how all ships, including Iona, will be phased back into service. Once there is more clarity on this then we will also announce plans for Iona’s inaugural activities and maiden cruise.