DATE: Wednesday, September 17, 1997         TAG: 9709170508

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   40 lines

SHIP SHAPE WITH NAVY WORK DECLINING, NORSHIPCO TURNS TO TUNEUPS FOR LARGE CRUISE LINERS

They're 850 feet long and more than 100 feet wide. They feed, entertain and sleep 2,000.

Carnival Cruise Line's Inspiration and Celebrity's Century - weighing in at about 80,000 tons each, rivaling the size of some Navy carriers - have been getting some pampering of their own. Highway drivers traveling to and from Norfolk have probably caught glimpses of the mighty pair of cruise ships.

During a 10-day stay at Norshipco on the Elizabeth River, 250 workers per ship have been sprucing up the exteriors with some paint and making the vessels more efficient with some engine work. The liners were to head back to Miami today to again serve vacationers.

Norshipco expects four more ships to come in for service this year, bringing to seven the total expected for 1997.

Making up for decreasing Navy work, Norshipco competes with other shipyards each year for jobs from the private cruise ship industry. While maintenance work on these ships is not new - Norshipco serviced 14 cruise ships one year - a spokesman for the company said he expects the burgeoning cruise business to provide more opportunities.

By the year 2000, 15 new cruise ships are expected on line, said Carlos Agnese, a vice president for Norshipco. Most of them will be larger than the two at Norshipco. All will need inspections two times every five years, according to federal regulations.

``Ships come in here like cars are brought in for their stickers,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

NHAT MEYER/The Virginian-Pilot

These two cruise ships, Carnival's Inspiration, left, and Celebrity

Cruises' Century, right, are expected to depart from Norfolk today

after undergoing routine maintenance work at Norshipco on the

Elizabeth River.

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