The cruise ship BRAEMAR (19,089 gt / ex CROWN DYNASTY) entered the Elbe 17 Dock at Blohm + Voss Repair on May 13 for lengthening and other conversion work. The ship, which belongs to the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines will be lengthened by 31.20 metres amidships at the Hamburg shipyard, which is part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.
BRAEMAR is the second cruise ship from Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines to be lengthened at Blohm + Voss Repair. She follows the conversion of the BALMORAL between November 2007 and January of this year.
In addition to getting a new midship section, 18 new balconies will be installed on the BRAEMAR and her Deck 8 restaurant will be completely renovated. Various other public areas will be rebuilt or renovated as well.
The new 31.20 metre-long, 22.50 metre-wide, 2,250 t midship section was built by Schichau Seebeck Shipyard in Bremerhaven under subcontract to Blohm + Voss Repair and floated into the Hamburg shipyard on April 6. It will increase the passenger capacity of the cruise liner from 900 to 950.
In early July, the converted BRAEMAR will leave Blohm + Voss Repair for short sea trials prior to being handed over to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines in Southampton, Great Britain.
The BRAEMAR – named after a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, about 93 kilometres from Aberdeen – was built in 1993 as CROWN DYNASTY for Commodore Cruise Lines at the Spanish shipyard Union Navale de Levante. From 1994 she served with the shipping company Cunard. In 1997, she was sold to Majesty Cruise Line and cruised under the new name CROWN MAJESTY. The Norwegian shipping company Fred. Olsen acquired the ship in 2001 and she has served on cruises ever since as BRAEMAR.
