Giant Cruise Ship
In this episode we follow an international team of engineers and workers as they attempt to build one of the largest and most advanced cruise ships in the world. Named ‘Meraviglia’, this nautical leviathan is built from 35,000 tonnes of steel, stretches 1,036 feet long and will carry over 5,700 passengers.
Site Manager Gaetano Rolando, a seasoned naval engineer has been tasked with overseeing the construction of the giant vessel, but this is his first ever cruise ship. We follow Gaetano and the team as they race to construct the vessel from 50 giant sections – called ‘Mega Blocks’, install over 2,200 cabins and design and test a mammoth bespoke LED screen ceiling – the longest LED screen ever built on a ship! Making the construction of this brand new class of cruise ship a challenge like no other.
We watch as the cruise liner is transformed from blank sheets of steel into a £725 million ocean going goliath that pushes the boundaries of ship design and construction. Built on the west coast of France, in one of the largest shipyards in Europe, engineers must overcome adversity to realise this never-before attempted design. To ensure the ship works and is safe to carry over 5,000 people, we witness the vessel put through its paces in a series of gruelling tests out in the open sea.
The clock is ticking. The ship’s maiden voyage has already sold out and Gaetano and the team must finish its construction in time to see the vessel arrive at its star-studded launch ceremony before its first passengers board.