SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom - GE Marine Engines announced that Celebrity Cruises' Millennium cruise ship began its maiden voyage today powered by two GE LM2500+ aeroderivative gas turbines. The Millennium is the world's first cruise ship to use a COmbined Gas turbine and steam turbine integrated Electric drive System (COGES) configuration."Celebrity Cruises is incredibly enthusiastic about moving into the new millennium with a state-of-the-art cruise ship that blends the beauty and grandeur of turn-of-the-century luxury liners with the amenities and breakthrough technological advances that our guests demand," said James Lomonosoff, senior vice president of marketing for Celebrity Cruises. "The Millennium ship, using GE's most advanced aeroderivative gas turbine technology, will benefit from dramatically reduced exhaust emissions, as well as less engine noise and vibration," Lomonosoff added. A COGES configuration is a very efficient use of energy: Energy that otherwise would be lost in the exhaust from the gas turbines is captured to produce steam from boilers for the steam turbines. The gas turbine-based system powers electric motors that move the ship through the water. The COGES configuration also provides for all on-board power requirements such as ventilation systems, power to light cabins, etc. The engineering, gas turbine packaging and system integration for COGES was handled by S&S Energy Products, a GE Power Systems business and a GE Marine Engines Marine Systems Supplier. Three additional Millennium-class cruise ships being built for Celebrity Cruises, as well as four Vantage-class ships being built for sister cruise brand, Royal Caribbean International, will use LM2500+ gas turbine-generator sets for main propulsion and onboard power. The first start-up of the gas turbines on the Millennium ship took place in January 2000; sea trials were completed in April with the COGES ship performing flawlessly. Chantiers de l'Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France, built the 91,000-ton Millennium ship. It measures 964.6 feet long, 105.6 feet wide and has 11 guest decks and 10 guest elevators. The ship has a cruising speed of 24 knots, and can carry 1,950 guests and 999 crew. The Millennium today sailed from Southampton, United Kingdom. From July through October 2000, Millennium will sail varied itineraries in Russia, the Baltic, the Mediterranean, and Western and Eastern Europe. The Millennium will begin its transatlantic voyage from Genoa, Italy to N.Y. in November 2000. The ship then will offer alternating eastern and western Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. GE Marine Engines is part of GE Aircraft Engines and is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio. GE Marine Engines is the world's largest designer, developer and manufacturer of aeroderivative gas turbines for a variety of commercial and military marine propulsion applications. Visit GE Marine Engines on the worldwide web at www.geae.net