There were celebrations last month when the Emerald Princess set sail on her maiden voyage following a successful two-year build at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard in Italy. Stage Technologies has been working as the main stage rigging contractors on this project, responsible for the install and commissioning of the complete stage machinery package onboard this new Grand Class ship from Princess Cruises.
The theatre system installed on board the Emerald Princess is among the most sophisticated afloat and uses equipment more typically seen on major West End and Las Vegas shows. The installation includes a stage floor system incorporating two stage lifts, sliding lift trap panels and nine Serapid floor tracks. The flytower houses a 22-axis power flying system, lighting trusses, a projection screen, and three curtain tracks. The latest generation of Stage Technologies BigTow winches provide the muscle for the power flying, using the unique TanJent guidance system that was developed for Princess to meet the particular requirements of guiding scenery on board ships. The control system features the Acrobat console running the latest version of Chameleon software, which is fully integrated with the Maxis ID position control system.
The Emerald Princess was formally handed over to Princess Cruises by Fincantieri on March 30, 2007 and marks a major milestone for Stage Technologies. Working in Italian, French, and Japanese shipyards, Stage Technologies supplied and commissioned stage automation systems for every new build for Princess Cruises since the Grand Princess in 1998. The Emerald Princess, however, is the first ship where Stage Technologies was responsible for the entire stage machinery package as the principle stage-rigging contractor. This has enabled them to ensure that the quality of the entire installation is consistent with the high standards it has established for automation systems over the last 12 years.
Stage Technologies project manager Jim Roberts comments, “Emerald Princess was the first contract Stage Technologies won to work directly for Fincantieri to supply a turn-key cruise ship project. Managing the entire project, including installation, enabled us to work directly with the shipyard to ensure the contract was delivered on schedule and to the very high standards that Princess Cruises have come to expect of our work.”
Stage Technologies managed this project locally from their Italian office, while also working on three other ship installations simultaneously: the Crown Princess, Cunard’s Queen Victoria, and P&O’s Ventura.