Royal Caribbean's "Allure of the Seas" will finally be able to enter the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz to carry out the planned partial renovation.
The Ministry of Health has finally granted permission for the cruise ship "Allure of the Seas" to enter the Navantia shipyard, where part of the refurbishment postponed last March will be carried out. The Royal Caribbean vessel will arrive in the coming days from Gibraltar, where it is currently anchored to transfer some of its crew to another Royal Caribbean ship, the "Jewel of the Seas," in order to reduce the number of people on board before entering Cádiz.
The shipping agent for the vessel, BC Tours, has confirmed that it has made the necessary arrangements to bring the ship back, which has been sailing in circles off the coast of Southampton for more than 60 days, meaning its crew has not touched land during the entire period.
The ministerial order expressly prohibited the entry of cruise ships of any origin into Spanish ports, although it allowed for exceptions that would require justification for authorization. The order also established a maximum onboard maintenance crew of 40, unfeasible for virtually all cruise ships, but especially so for this particular vessel, whose technical specifications stipulate a minimum of 285 maintenance crew members.
It should be remembered that the Allure of the Seas, sister ship to the Oasis, Symphony and Harmony, is one of the largest cruise ships in the world with a length of 361 meters and 225,282 tons.
Bc Tours, who highlighted the mediation of State Ports, the Merchant Marine and the Spanish Association of Shipping Agents to obtain the green light, continues working on managing the permits for the international contractors who have to arrive to carry out work on board.
The repair of the Allure of the Seas could employ more than 500 workers from Navantia and the auxiliary industry and will last for a month. This ship and the Oasis of the Seas have already visited Navantia Cádiz on other occasions, and represent a very positive economic impact for the city.
