First pictures of P&O's newest cruise ship, Britannia, in her red, white and blue Union Flag livery

It’s been a long time coming, from the first unveiling of the artist’s impressions, to the start of painting initiated by two of the most senior executives in the cruise world - from both sides of the Atlantic. But the dramatic Union Jack bow of P&O’s Britannia is finally complete and ready to be shown off in all its red, white and blue glory.

At 94 metres long, it is the world’s largest contemporary version of the Union Flag and it has taken 420 litres of paint to complete - 320 litres of red and 180 litres of blue. Plus another 160 litres to create the bold P&O logo at the very front of the ship.

Florida’s richest man, Micky Arison - chairman of P&O’s parent company, Carnival Corporation - and David Dingle, chairman of Carnival UK, started the paint job three weeks ago. A team of workers finally completed the job yesterday while the vessel was back in dry-dock for a few finishing touches.

The £500 million ship, under construction at a shipyard in north-east Italy, will arrive in Southampton in March, ready for a spectacular christening ceremony and a sold-out 14-night maiden voyage to the Mediterranean.

Pictures by James Morgan

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P&O Fly The Flag - In Pictures & Video

The advent of P&O Cruises' ground-breaking new ship Britannia in 2015 is already causing a major stir in the cruise waters, and now P&O have upped the ante still further by revealing new hull artwork that proudly trumpets the Union Jack as its core design.

The bold new look celebrates the company's heritage and its popularity as Britain’s leading cruise line with a livery update across the fleet to underline its UK credentials, with the longest version of the Union Jack set to adorn its new flagship next year.

From the end of 2014, the company’s eight ships will begin to embrace the flag on their bow, styled in a contemporary way which looks to the future, while celebrating the past. The imagery will be sympathetic to the ships’ sweeping lines and enhance their presence in port

or at sea. The ships will also have distinctive blue funnels carrying an illuminated rising sun motif which depicts the Oriental part of the Peninsular and Oriental (P&O) name on the company’s coat of arms.

The new livery was developed after extensive research among consumers. It will first be seen on Aurora, after her dry-dock later this year, followed by Britannia at her launch in February 2015, and on all other P&O ships by the end of 2016. Britannia, the largest cruise ship exclusively for the British market, will display the longest version of the Union flag anywhere in the world, at 94 metres.

Chief executive officer David Dingle explained: “In our 177 ^th year, we are unveiling a new, contemporarily styled livery which symbolises all we stand for, pointing to the future and celebrating our British heritage. This bold new look will make our ships yet more distinctive and recognisable across the world. Our ships will proudly carry Britain’s most distinctive symbol, the Union Flag, to all corners of the globe.”

P&O's roots stretch back to 1837, when the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company was awarded the lucrative Admiralty contract to carry mail to the Iberian Peninsula and beyond.

Now see the full P&O video explaining the new look:

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Britannia's The Name For P&O

P&O Cruises has announced that its new 141,000-ton ship, scheduled to enter service in spring 2015, will be named Britannia.

Speaking today in London, P&O Cruises & Carnival UK chief executive officer David Dingle said: “Britannia is a most fitting name for the newest addition to P&O Cruises, which, with its long and famous heritage, remains Britain’s favourite cruise line. Britannia will capture both the contemporary spirit of P&O Cruises and the spirit of Britain today.

“Today’s Britain is a place of increasing style and sophistication, optimism and excitement. Britannia will reflect that feeling and will mark a new era of growth and success for the cruise industry. It will also underpin P&O's unique commitment to building ships specifically designed to anticipate the tastes of today’s Britain. It will be a modern classic, a ship for this and future generations offering authentic travel by sea in an enduringly contemporary setting.”

Britannia will boost P&O Cruises capacity by 24%. With a length of 1,082ft, it will carry more than 3,600 passengers and, at 141,000 tons, will be 25,000 tons larger than P&O's previous biggest, the 2008-built Ventura.

The new vessel will offer "the best of British contemporary design, with an unprecedented number of passenger facilities. It is being designed throughout by London-based Richmond International, creating “flowing” interiors which have a coherent feel while each area will have an individual identity, look and feel through shape, space and soft furnishings."

The ship will also be designed to both attract both newcomers to resonate and resonate with existing passengers. It will offer the “best of the best”, combining favourite classic features of ships such as Oriana and Aurora, the wide choice and contemporary variety of Ventura and Azura as well as many yet-to-be-announced new concepts in technology and entertainment. Dining options will reflect the continuing rise of British cooking on the world stage.

Following travelling trends and customer research it will also have more single cabins than any other cruise ship, many of them with balconies.
Dingle (pictured right with Captain Paul Brown, Carnival chairman Micky Arison and CEO Arnold Donald) continued: “At the same time, the ship will be our greenest yet and will be designed to deliver much greater levels of operational and environmental efficiency. 

"A new hull form will reduce unit fuel consumption by up to 20%. And, whilst the name Britannia has great historical resonance with P&O Cruises, most importantly, the ship will celebrate the forward-looking Britain of today and the future.”

There have been two previous ships named Britannia connected to the company. The first entered service in 1835 for the General Steam Navigation Company, which went on to become The Peninsular Steam Navigation Company. The second, which entered service in 1887, was one of four ships ordered by the company to mark the Golden Jubilee of both Queen Victoria and P&O itself. 

This Golden Jubilee class ship carried 250 first-class passengers and 160 second-class passengers and had a cargo capacity of approximately 4,000 tons. The young Winston Churchill sailed on this Britannia with his hussar regiment to Bombay in 1888 and then went on to fight on the North West Frontier. 

Britannia was also, of course, the name of the Royal Yacht for 44 years from her launch on Clydesdale in 1953. She is now docked in the Port of Leith (Edinburgh) as a major tourist attraction.

Now see our new Poll question on our home page and let us know what you think about the name for P&O's new ship!

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