Time for a makeover

Cruise ships are a difficult type of vessel to maintain because unlike other vessels, they have the problem of handling a live and totally unforgiving cargo: people. The décor in the accommodation and other passenger areas has to be updated regularly, not necessarily because it is in need of refurbishing, but because fashions change and passengers expect the latest décor and facilities. In addition, wear and tear results from the sheer variety of food and other items (including waste) that must be handled before and after every voyage, with between 300-500 container loads of supplies craned onto the open deck spaces for unloading.

Most cruise lines regularly carry out major upgrade programmes to keep their vessels looking pristine and offering the very latest amenities. When repairs need to be done, they must be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible, because the largest cost of docking a cruise ship is not the shipyard’s repair bill, but the cost of steaming to the yard with the resultant expensive ‘off hire’ period.

Upgrading the giants of the sea

Royal Caribbean Cruises has more than 40 cruise ships, including two 225,000-ton vessels which are the largest cruise ships in the world. Kevin Douglas, vice president, technical projects, newbuild at RCL, explains how the line manages maintenance and upgrades to the fleet. “We now operate a five-year drydocking schedule which means that allowing for the new vessels in the fleet, we dock about 30 ships every five years. This means our programme has little flexibility,” he says. The vessels dock all over the world in locations as diverse as Freeport, Cadiz, Hamburg, Bremen, Palermo and Singapore. “Since the out-of-service time is the critical factor in our scheduling, we pick the nearest yard to keep costs down. On a routine refit, the underwater work is usually the most critical aspect of the docking and this normally takes about seven-ten days. We are fortunate in having one of the most experienced technical teams in the world to oversee the repairs.”

Douglas says a refit can involve up to 500 men. “But on a major upgrade we can employ as many as 1,600-1,800 including crew. The workers live on board during the refit,” he says. A recent example of a complete revitalisation was the docking of Mein Schiff 2, now operating under TUI for the German market and previously in RCL’s Celebrity fleet. “This was a €50 million project. We docked the vessel with Lloyd Werft in Germany and the docking took 35 days to complete.”

The list of work included the addition of balconies, a completely refurbished extended spa, and general all-over upgrading including the public areas and accommodation. “In the same month we also docked the Radiance in Canada and carried out a US$19 million refit. Other work this year has already included docking Freedom and Liberty of the Seas, both for complete upgrades.” Of the two 300 metre ships, one is trading in the Caribbean and the other is now in Europe. The docking was carried out in Grand Bahamas yard in Freeport, Bahamas. Douglas recalls: “We just managed to fit the vessels into their number two dock. It was a tight fit. There are only a limited number of large docks available that can accommodate vessels of this size.”

Other major upgrades are in the pipeline through RCL’s Royal Advantage Refit Program, including extending onboard spas to make them bigger, as well as a complete revitalisation of the entire accommodation and passenger spaces. “It takes four weeks to complete the work and during the refit, about 450 containers arrive and are unloaded on the pool deck and other open decks.” So far this year, the company has completed four refits and has two more to do. Another five vessels will dock in the first half of 2012, with six to follow in the second half.

Luxury as standard

Holland America Line has had some demanding recent dockings, including a stem to stern, multimillion dollar drydocking for its Maasdam vessel last year at Grand Bahamas shipyard in Freeport, as well as refurbishment work on Eurodam, Volendam and Veendam. The 1,258 guest Maasdam gained new facilities and features, including new stateroom furnishings and bathroom upgrades, as well as Italian eatery Canaletto, the sophisticated Showroom at Sea and the stylish Mix lounge, which combines three distinct bars into one area. Twenty-nine new Lanai staterooms were also added during the refit, and 16 staterooms were converted into spa staterooms. The Maasdam also benefited from the addition of an upscale luxury jewellery shop and refurbishment of other public areas. The refurbishment was part of the company’s Signature of Excellence fleet-wide programme. Richard Meadows, HAL’s marketing, sales and guest programmes executive vice president, explains: “Maasdam is our fifth ship to receive these exciting hardware enhancements. Our industry leading Signature of Excellence initiative is an ongoing, comprehensive programme that touches every aspect of our vessels and the investment now exceeds US$560 million. It ensures that our fleet will continue to provide the premium amenities, programming, technologies and activities that our guests expect from Holland America Line.”

This is an abridged version of an article that appeared in the Autumn/ Winter 2011 edition of International Cruise & Ferry Review. You can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.