.jpg) Celebrity Eclipse inTallinn, 2017 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Malta | |
| Name | Celebrity Eclipse |
| Owner | Celebrity Eclipse Inc.[1] |
| Operator | Celebrity Cruises |
| Port of registry |
|
| Ordered | 14 July 2006[1] |
| Builder | Meyer Werft,Papenburg, Germany[3] |
| Cost | US$750 million |
| Yard number | 677[4] |
| Laid down | 23 January 2009[3] |
| Launched | 28 February 2010[5] |
| Christened | 24 April 2010 atSouthampton by Emma Pontin[6] |
| Acquired | 15 April 2010[2] |
| Maiden voyage | 29 April 2010[7] |
| Identification | |
| Status | In service[8] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Solstice-classcruise ship |
| Tonnage | 121,878 GT[1] |
| Length | 317.14 m (1,040 ft 6 in)[1] |
| Beam | 36.80 m (120 ft 9 in)[1] |
| Draft | 8.30 m (27 ft 3 in)[1] |
| Decks | 17 decks[2] |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)[3] |
| Capacity | 2,850 passengers[3] |
| Crew | approx. 1,271 |
Celebrity Eclipse is aSolstice-classcruise ship operated byCelebrity Cruises, a subsidiary ofRoyal Caribbean Group. After she was ordered with German shipbuilderMeyer Werft in July 2006, she saw herkeel laid in February 2007 and she was formally delivered in April 2010. The 122,000 GT-vessel followed sister shipsCelebrity Solstice andCelebrity Equinox as the thirdSolstice-class ship in the fleet.
Thekeel ofCelebrity Eclipse waslaid on 14 February 2007 and she wasfloated out of her drydock on 28 February 2010.[3][5] The ship was delivered to Celebrity on 15 April 2010 inEemshaven[9] and was christened by British yachtswoman Emma Pontin on 24 April 2010.[6][10]
Celebrity Eclipse is the thirdSolstice-class ship, preceded byCelebrity Solstice andCelebrity Equinox.Solstice-class ships were designed to save energy through theirphotovoltaic systems and an optimized hull design with efficient hull coatings and lighting systems usinglight-emitting diodes.[11]
In response to the 2010shutdown of UK airspace due to the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano, the newly completedCelebrity Eclipse returned 2,000 British tourists stranded in Spain as "an act of goodwill" by the owners, sailing from Southampton to Bilbao on 21 April and returning on 23 April.[12]
On 20 May 2011 a 31-year-old crew member was lost overboard 12 kilometres (6+1⁄2 nautical miles) north of Cherbourg, France; despite an extensive search the man's body was not recovered.[13]
In October 2012Channel 4 TV aired aDispatches undercover documentary that exposed poor working conditions andexploitation of workers onCelebrity Eclipse.[14] Allegations include flying under aflag of convenience to enable the ship owners to be unconstrained by employment legislation, including minimum wages and working hours. The documentary showed footage of workers who had no rest days in many months, and workers who had to pay helpers to enable them to fulfil their duties. Celebrity Cruises denied the allegations in the documentary.
Passengers began disembarking from the ship inSan Diego on 30 March 2020 after her last sailing.[15] In April, allegations surfaced that the ship had failed to protect passengers from known cases ofCOVID-19.[15] Passengers and crew had tested positive despite Celebrity's original public denials of any cases on board.[16] One man died in the United States four days after returning home in the United States and his wife also tested positive.[15] Another passenger, an 83-year-old man, was reported dead inQueensland, Australia, on 18 April.[17]
After disembarking the passengers the ship was placed under a no-sail order, effective through July, by theCenters for Disease Control. As of May 2020Celebrity Eclipse and two other cruise ships were still at anchor offshore from San Diego. Approximately 700 crew were reportedly still aboardCelebrity Eclipse.[18]
