Celebrity Cruises' New Celebrity Equinox Navigates Narrow River EMS en Route to Official Launch


Miami - (June 22, 2009 ) - With less than 20 feet "breathing room" on either side, the 2,850-guest Celebrity Equinox – the eagerly anticipated sister ship to the widely heralded Celebrity Solstice –left shipbuilder Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany on Saturday, June 20, to make the over-26-mile transit – an event known as the "conveyance" – down the River EMS…backwards.

At its tightest point along the course, there are as few as 13 feet between each side of the 1,040-ft-long, 121-ft-wide ship and the riverbank.

During Celebrity Equinox’s transit from Papenburg to Eemshaven, Netherlands, the ship navigated the passing of a railway bridge in Weener, a highway bridge in Leer, and a narrow passage in Gandersum. The journey takes between 12 and 15 hours to complete, and is likely the most complicated ride the ship will encounter in its life.

Due to the size and scale of the ship, the transit can take place only during absolutely ideal weather conditions: when the river is at high tide, when winds are extremely calm, and when tidal barriers are closed, in order to ensure there is enough water to accommodate the draft of the ship.

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