A shipset of 28 MacGREGOR elevators and two dumb waiters will serve Royal Caribbean first Ultra Voyager newbuilding, which will be its largest cruise ship

The MacGREGOR Group's Passenger Ship division has won a contract to supply and install 28 elevators and two dumb waiters on the first ship in Royal Caribbean Cruises' new and largest class, called the Ultra Voyager. The Ultra Voyager model will be about 15 per cent larger than the Voyager class, Royal Caribbean says, and at 100 per cent occupancy will carry 3,600 passengers and 1,400 crew.

The newbuilding (NB 1352) has been ordered from Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Finland, and is scheduled for delivery in May 2006. An option exists for a second Ultra Voyager, with a 2007 delivery date.

Kvaerner Masa-Yards previously built Royal Caribbean five 142,000gt Voyager-class ships, which each feature 26-elevator packages from MacGREGOR; two 74,000gt Vision-class vessels which each feature 18-elevator shipsets from MacGREGOR; and four earlier ships.

The first Ultra Voyager will employ the following MacGREGOR supplied and installed equipment:

14 passenger elevators

• 6 MiniSpace* scenic elevators with a lifting capacity of 1,800kg or 24 passengers
• 8 MiniSpace passenger elevators with a lifting capacity of 1,800kg or 24 passengers

14 service elevators

• 12 MiniSpace elevators with a lifting capacity of 1,000kg or 13 passengers
• 2 MonoSpace* elevators with a lifting capacity of 1,000kg or 8 passengers

and

• 2 dumb waiters with a lifting capacity of 300kg
• 1 wheelchair elevator with a lifting capacity of 300kg.

All elevators will be installed using MacGREGOR plug-in technology. MonoSpace and MiniSpace elevators both employ the super-compact gearless EcoDisc* hoisting drive. This makes possible an elevator concept that occupies less space and weighs less than conventional traction elevators, offering benefits to both shipowner and shipyard. Space savings inside the machinery rooms of up to 50 per cent are made using this system, and weight savings of 10 per cent, in addition to a 40 per cent reduction in power consumption. MonoSpace is the first practical elevator that does not require a machinery room. The elevators also benefit from KONE MX operating machinery and KONE LCE control systems.

Royal Caribbean Cruises operates Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, with a combined total of 26 ships in service and two under construction.

*MonoSpace, MiniSpace and EcoDisc are trademarks of KONE Corporation, and are being used by the MacGREGOR Group under licence from KONE.

For further information, please contact:
Ms Leena Lehtonen, Communications, Passenger Ship Division
MacGREGOR (FRA) SA, 5 bis rue de Bel Air, 44474 Carquefou Cedex, France
Tel: +33 240 305 071 Fax: +33 240 305 091
e-mail: leena.lehtonen@macgregor-nte.com