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Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Borealis completes multimillion-pound refurbishment at Cammell Laird shipyard near Liverpool

Press release -

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Borealis completes multimillion-pound refurbishment at Cammell Laird shipyard near Liverpool

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Borealis has completed a multimillion-pound refurbishment programme at Cammell Laird shipyard, Birkenhead, becoming the first cruise liner to undergo work at the site for over 25 years.

Borealis arrived on 28th October, for a 14-day refurbishment, including steel repairs, an overhaul of the shafts and propellers as well a new application of underwater paint, supported by more than 150 members of Cammell Laird’s workforce.

The ship sailed out of Cammell Laird’s Birkenhead site at lunchtime on Saturday, ready to welcome guests back on board for a cruise in search of the Northern Lights, which left the city on Sunday.

Peter Deer, Managing Director of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines said:

“I would like to thank the people of Liverpool, Birkenhead and Cammell Laird for looking after our ship Borealis during her time in dry dock.

“We’ve been sailing from Liverpool for almost 20 years and we’re so proud to have this fantastic city as Borealis’ homeport. We cherish the relationship we have with the people in the area, whether that be our guests, our friends at Cruise Liverpool or the men and women of Cammell Laird who have worked hard to get Borealis refurbished in time for her upcoming sailings.

“As a family-run cruise line, we know how important it is to support local communities and we hope to continue to build these relationships in and around Liverpool for many years to come.”

Borealis joined the Fred. Olsen fleet in 2020, and has called Liverpool its homeport since sailing resumed in 2021, offering more than 50 sailings from the city. A report to the local authority’s culture and visitor economy committee earlier this year found Borealis had contributed more than £2.25m to the local economy by using Liverpool as her homeport.

Her upcoming sailings from the city include the chance to visit both Northern and Western Europe, including a special two-week Christmas sailing to the Canary Islands – before setting sail on an exciting ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ cruise in February – the first time Fred. Olsen has offered the chance to join a World Cruise from Liverpool.

David McGinley, Chief Executive of Cammell Laird, said:

"Cammell Laird was delighted to welcome Borealis and her crew to our facility, and be given the opportunity to showcase Cammell Laird's ship repair capabilities.

"It took over 150 members of the Cammell Laird workforce, including apprentices, to complete the programme of works - which injected well in excess of a million pounds into the local economy.

"Contracts such as these deliver significant economic value to the Liverpool City region and we look forward to welcoming the Borealis again as well as other members of the Fred. Olsen fleet."

There is still time to get away aboard Borealis this year, with the following sailings departing from Liverpool in 2022:

Borealis’ 11-night S2230 ‘Discover Portugal with Madeira’ cruise. Departing from Liverpool on 24th November 2022. Prices start from £899 per person.
Itinerary: Liverpool, England – Lisbon, Portugal – Funchal, Madeira, Portugal (overnight stay) – Leixões (for Oporto), Portugal - La Coruña, Spain – Liverpool, England
For more details: Visit Borealis' S2230 'Discover Portugal with Madeira' cruise

Borealis’ 9-night S2231 ‘River Cities and German Christmas Markets’ cruise. Departing from Liverpool on 5th December 2022. Prices start from £699 per person.
Itinerary: Liverpool, England – Cruising North Sea Canal, Netherlands – Amsterdam, Netherlands (overnight stay) – Cruising River Elbe, Germany – Hamburg, Germany (overnight stay) – Honfleur, France – Liverpool, England
For more details:
Visit Borealis' S2231 'River Cities and German Christmas Markets' cruise

Borealis’ 8-night S2232 ‘Festive Spanish City Break’ cruise. Departing from Liverpool on 14th December 20222. Prices start from £649 per person.
Itinerary: Liverpool, England – Gijon, Spain – Getxo (Bilbao), Spain – Vigo, Spain - La Coruña, Spain – Liverpool, England
For more details:
Visit Borealis' S2232 'Festive Spanish City Break' cruise

For further information on Fred. Olsen’s departures from Liverpool visit www.fredolsencruises.com/cruises-from-liverpool

Book online, call our Reservations team on 0800 0355 242 (Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm), or contact your ABTA travel agent.


Fred. Olsen Cruise Line operates in the UK with four intimately sized ships for a more personal cruising experience.

Contacts

Ellis Orchard

Ellis Orchard

Press contact Public Relations Manager Public Relations 07557672265
Georgina May

Georgina May

Press contact Public Relations Executive Public Relations
Lauren Gardner

Lauren Gardner

Press contact Public Relations Manager Public Relations 07546807099

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

At Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines we are very proud of our smaller ships – Bolette, Borealis and Balmoral - and the imaginative and unusual itineraries they allow us to offer. Every cruise is hand-crafted from scratch by our team of in-house Journey Planners to make sure you are not only visiting the best destinations, but at the best time to experience them.

For us, it’s not just about where we go but how we take you there. We put as much time into planning scenic cruising as we do in choosing the destinations themselves. On board, our Signature Experiences showcase the history, culture, nature and flavours of the destinations you’ll visit – from Treats of the Region, where you can enjoy local delicacies, to our Sky at Sea star-gazing sessions where you can relax with a hot toddy out on deck while our astronomer talks you through the night sky.

Plus, with each ship carrying 1,300 guests or less, our ships are small enough for us to offer a warm, friendly and personal service where nothing is ever too much trouble, as we visit a host of exciting ports in every corner of the globe.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

Fred. Olsen House, White House Road
IP1 5LL Ipswich, Suffolk
United Kingdom