Coral

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Lore & Background

Ordered by P&O Princess Cruises in December 1999, Coral Princess was built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in France—marking Princess Cruises' first return to a French shipyard since the Sitmar Cruises-ordered Star Princess in the 1980s. Her powerplant is a hybrid marvel: a General Electric LM2500 gas turbine (25,000 kW) perched in the funnel, plus two Wärtsilä diesel-alternators (16,200 kW each) in the main machinery room. These drive three alternators feeding twin 20,000 kW Alstom variable-speed propulsion motors. Dubbed the EnviroEngine, this was the cruise industry's first full-scale use of such a system, and the first gas-turbine generator in the Princess fleet. By placing the turbo engine in the funnel, designers reclaimed two lower decks for passenger amenities. To visually celebrate the gas turbines, the funnel sports two decorative cylindrical turbines—non-functional but iconic, a design later copied on Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess. The ship has 1,545 staterooms (1,105 outside, 440 inside), carries 2,000 passengers at double occupancy plus 895 crew, and was completed in December 2002, making her maiden voyage in January 2003.

In Their Own Story

Coral Princess embarked on her maiden voyage on January 17, 2003, christened by Mireya Moscoso, then President of Panama. On May 2, 2013, a fire broke out when flammable material in the engineering spaces accidentally ignited in the middle of the night. Crew extinguished it quickly, with no injuries, though minor smoke reached as high as Deck 8. A more dramatic incident occurred on January 15, 2020, at approximately 21:30 local time: an engine fire erupted while the ship was in the Drake Passage, just 4 nautical miles north of Elephant Island in Antarctica. The ship had just finished a two-day transit of the Antarctic Peninsula when the fire struck, but it was contained without casualties.

Reader's Guide

Name: Coral Princess Class: Coral-class Operator: Princess Cruises Builder: Chantiers de l'Atlantique, France Ordered: December 1999 Completed: December 2002 Maiden voyage: January 2003 Propulsion: General Electric LM2500 25,000 kW gas turbine in funnel; two 16,200 kW diesel-alternators with Wärtsilä prime movers; twin 20,000 kW Alstom variable speed propulsion motors; EnviroEngine system Staterooms: 1,545 (1,105 outside/440 inside) Passenger capacity: 2,000 double occupancy Crew: 895

Notable events: - Christened by Mireya Moscoso, President of Panama, on maiden voyage January 17, 2003 - Fire on 2 May 2013: flammable material ignited in engineering spaces; extinguished quickly; no injuries; minor smoke detected up to Deck 8 - Engine fire on 15 January 2020 at 21:30 local time in Drake Passage, 4 nautical miles north of Elephant Island, Antarctica; contained by fire detection system; no injuries - In 2022, diverted from New Zealand for hull cleaning to remove snails and prevent introducing foreign species

Design features: First cruise ship to use EnviroEngine propulsion system; first in Princess fleet with gas-turbine power generator; decorative cylindrical turbines on funnel (non-functional) first debuted on this ship, later duplicated on Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess.

Did You Know?

• Coral Princess was the first cruise ship to fully utilize the EnviroEngine propulsion system, a hybrid of gas turbine and diesel-electric power.
• The ship's funnel features two decorative cylindrical turbines that serve no function but were first debuted on this vessel, later copied on Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess.
• Coral Princess was christened by Mireya Moscoso, the President of Panama, on her maiden voyage in January 2003.
• On 15 January 2020, Coral Princess experienced an engine fire while 4 nautical miles north of Elephant Island in Antarctica—a dramatic event in one of the world's most remote waters.