Fire on AIDAprima Could Push Back Delivery Date

German and Japanese media have reported an electrical fire in a compartment aboard the new cruise ship AIDAprima, currently at the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki, which could push back her inaugural voyage one more time.

The fire triggered an alarm on the ship at 2030 hours local time on January 11. The shipyard's fire brigade and local authorities were able to contain the blaze quickly. Shipyard workers and crew were evacuated and no injuries were reported. An AIDA spokeswoman confirmed the fire in a statement to German media outlet Ostsee-Zeitung.

The delivery of the 125,000 gt AIDAprima, the firm's new flagship, has already been delayed several times. She was scheduled to debut in the first half of 2015; this was pushed back to delivery in the second half of the year, then again to December, according to Mitsubishi. Last month she finished her third set of sea trials.

Whether the fire will delay her inaugural trip again is not yet clear.

Mitsubishi booked a loss of $500 million for the two vessels of the AIDAprima's class in 2014, citing “difficulties involved in the construction of the prototype.” The firm also noted that “the volume of design work relating to the cruise ships cabins and other areas has been vast and significant design changes have been made,” which translated into further procurement and construction delays.

The AIDAprima is one of 11 cruise ships set to debut this year. Together the new additions to the global fleet will be valued at $7.4 billion and will add capacity of over 30,000 passenger berths, reflecting the industry's confidence in its growing customer base.