The ship is owned and operated by Carnival Cruise Lines based in Miami, Florida. Work to be performed on the Paradise includes repairing the starboard Azipod propulsion unit. The Azipod pulls the ship through the water rather than pushing it and eliminates the need for rudders, long shaft lines, conventional drive units and stern thrusters.

"The Paradise Azipod repair will be the first overhaul of an Azipod propulsion motor in the United States," said NNS Director of Ship Repair Becky Stewart. "A number of cruise ships being built in Europe have this new propulsion system. The work on Paradise will provide us with valuable knowledge for future electric drive work."

The 70,367-ton ship, which is 855 feet in length and has a beam of 103 feet, has been in service since 1998. Paradise has a guest capacity of 2,052 passengers and travels to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

Newport News Shipbuilding designs and constructs nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy and provides life-cycle services for ships in the Navy fleet. The company employs nearly 17,000 people and has annual revenues of approximately $1.9 billion. Visit NNS on the Web at www.nns.com.