P&O Cruises, the UK focused contemporary market unit in the Carnival Corporation & plc group, said it has named the second LNG-powered Excel class ship Arvia, meaning “from the seashore.”

It will join the fleet in December 2022 and it is a sister ship of Iona that was delivered by the same builders, Meyer Wrft in Germany, in the autumn of 2020. As a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the ship has not made its maiden voyage yet.

The Excel class design is shared between P&O Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Costa Crociere and Carnival Cruise Line, all parts of the Carnival group. The ships are built at Meyer’s shipyards in Germany and Finland.

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “Arvia will join Iona as an innovative and future-focused ship offering an outstanding, varied and contemporary holiday. Arvia has been designed to travel to the sun year-round and to maximise views of the ocean and the seashore from everywhere on board, so it seemed a very fitting name and one which will reflect the experience for guests on board.

“The seashore is known for its relaxing properties and tranquillity and a holiday on Arvia will, indeed, celebrate this and have relaxation at its heart. The rejuvenating and restorative qualities of a walk on the beach and invigorating sea air will be reflected in the experiences both on board and on shore as well as the vast space on board which has enabled us to include a number of new and extraordinary features,” Ludlow said in a statement.

The name of the 184,700 gross tonne ship was unveiled through a video reveal made up of outlining the letters in the name in various different locations, all relating to the beach and the seashore.