Meyer Werft Lays Keel for P&O Cruises' Arvia

German shipyard Meyer Werft announced it has laid the keel for the newest member of the P&O Cruises fleet

During a ceremony at the shipyard this week, a 800-ton crane placed a 570-ton block for Arvia's underwater hull onto the traditional keel-laying coins. Coins from Barbados, the ship's future winter homeport, were used.

The 184,000 GT newbuild is a sister ship of the Iona, which Meyer Werft delivered to the British shipping company in 2020. Both vessels feature liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion systems.

The Arvia will be completed in Meyer Werft's covered shipbuilding dock in the coming months and is scheduled to be delivered at the end of 2022.

The Arvia will make her maiden voyage to the Canary Islands and sail in the Caribbean during the following winter season.