Bolidt hits all-time high as cruise ship refits surge

[Bolidt exhibits at the SMM, Hall B5, Stand 320]

The vibrant cruise ship refurbishment market is reflected in an all-time high in refit work for Bolidt Synthetic Products & Systems, with the record including completion of five major ship projects so far this year. Bookings for a further seven large ship jobs are part of a workload that the company says includes ‘dozens’ of forthcoming projects planned for well into 2019.

In 2018, Bolidt has been a key participant in refurbishment and upgrade projects involving NCL’s Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Star; the RCCL vessels Mariner and Independence of the Seas; and the Azamara Club Cruises ship Azamara Pursuit. Refurbishment bookings for drydocking later this year and in the first half of 2019 include Norwegian Jewel, Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Millennium; Navigator, Oasis of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas; and Carnival Triumph.

The scale of the flooring and deck system upgrades within these projects is extensive. As Jacco van Overbeek, Bolidt Director, Maritime Division, observes: “These refits are significant and all-encompassing, and you will find us working on all decks, from 0 to 14 and above, and on a wide range of spaces onboard, including galleys, balconies, water park areas, running tracks and general public spaces, among others. The bulk of the work has required us to supply our industry-leading Bolideck Future Teak and Bolideck Select Soft systems, but we have also delivered other innovative solutions from our portfolio for these refits.”

One of the most significant projects for Bolidt this year involved a major overhaul of Azamara Pursuit, which took place at Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard. Northern Ireland-based company, MJM Group, was awarded a turnkey project for the four-month long refit, and Bolidt was contracted directly by MJM to carry out the necessary decking upgrade work. Van Overbeek says: “We have known MJM for many years, participating alongside them on a lot of projects, but this was a new way of working through a single turnkey contractor, and it went well. The result was very positive, and we are extremely proud of the upgrades undertaken on Azamara Pursuit in partnership with MJM.”

One of the key challenges for Bolidt in managing its increased cruise refit business, which now accounts for around 40% of its activity in the cruise shipping market, is the volume of work that has to be compressed into an increasingly short drydocking stay. “Sometimes we have more than 15,000m² of material to install in less than a month,” says van Overbeek. “We have risen to this challenge by increasing our pool of specialist installers and by ‘growing our own’ and promoting employees with the aptitude and a willingness to learn about the practical side of the cruise refit market.”

The company has further responded to the need to boost productivity to deliver projects within tight schedules by developing prefabrication techniques. Van Overbeek says: “This has helped in areas where the complexity of installation in liquid form is simply too great for us to pursue traditional pouring methods. Instead, we have developed innovative, practical applications for resin decking compounds, wherever accessibility for traditional materials, such as teak and tiles, has become prohibitive. In some cases there are no viable options other than the customised solutions that Bolidt has developed, which puts us in a strong competitive position.”

Bolidt is also upbeat about cruise refit prospects. “We have seen an acceleration of planned projects at Carnival and we expect other brands will start following suit,” says van Overbeek. “The products we offer have withstood the test of time and continue to be preferred by shipowners based on durability and aesthetics.”

Finnish interior outfitter NIT sets up German unit

[NIT exhibits at the SMM, Hall B2 EG, Stand 321]

NIT, the Finnish ship interior outfitter, said it has established a subsidiary company in Germany to provide support for local projects, sales and service.

Business operations started in May 2018 under the leadership of Sebastian Lagerlöf. NIT Naval Interior Team GmbH is located in Wismar, where NIT has launched a new turnkey cruise ship interior project with MV Werften.

NIT is one of Europe’s leading turnkey suppliers of ship interiors. The company specialises in the most challenging elements of a ship’s interior, such as staircases, restaurants, nightclubs and spas. The business focus of NIT is on delivering turnkey projects including all needed services, such as design, project management and installations of everything required inside the hull.

According to Sebastian Lagerlöf, NIT expects the German shipbuilding market to continue to grow strongly in the foreseeable future.

“We see positively on our customer’s perspectives, and we believe we will be able to serve them better if we serve them locally. I think that in the future there will be many success stories that we can share with our German customers.”

Lagerlöf continued that NIT is interested in cooperation with all German shipyards building passenger ships and ferries. “We will operate with flexible, ambitious and highly experienced teams in Germany. We have now started recruiting local staff who share our vision to become the most respected partner and best place to work.

Silverstream retrofits air lubrication system on Diamond Princess

Silverstream Technologies today announced that Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise vacation company, has successfully retrofitted the Silverstream System air lubrication technology onto the Diamond Princess from its Princess Cruises brand.

The system has been in operation since June 2017, reducing fuel consumption and related CO2 emissions. It recently completed its final contract trials, which demonstrated that the original performance expectations were exceeded with net efficiency improvements of over 5% at the design service speed, verified by Lloyd’s Register.

This project underscores Carnival Corporation’s commitment to environmental sustainability, and continues Silversteam’s significant progress in driving the uptake of credible clean technologies amongst ship owners.

Carnival Corporation chose to retrofit Silverstream’s air lubrication system following an analysis of air lubrication technologies and Silverstream’s proven track-record for delivering tangible reductions in fuel costs and emissions, attained through comprehensive sea-trialling and in-operation data analysis.

“Sustainability is a top priority for Carnival Corporation,” said Mike Kaczmarek, Vice President of Corporate Marine Technology for Carnival Corporation, whose global cruise line brands include Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, Holland America Line and Seabourn in addition to Princess Cruises.

“Our recent Sustainability Report, published in 2017, set clear goals for improving the efficiency of our fleet through overall operations and innovative solutions. Retrofitting Silverstream’s air lubrication technology on the Diamond Princess is another example of our ongoing efforts to leverage technology to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.”

Noah Silberschmidt, CEO, Silverstream Technologies said: “The installation of the Silverstream System on the Diamond Princess once again demonstrates the very real demand for proven clean technologies that are cost-effective, easy to implement and operate, and deliver the efficiency benefits that are claimed.”

“Cruise operators are under increasing pressure from customers and regulators to improve sustainability,” he added. “Our work with Carnival Corporation and Princess Cruises reflects the growing confidence in our technology.”

Additionally, data from installations has shown that noise and vibration emissions are also reduced.

LNG in the cruise industry – Wessels Reederei provides training for Carnival Maritime

AIDAnova is due to usher in a new era at the end of the year when it becomes the first cruise ship that can run on environmentally-friendly liquefied natural gas (LNG). To fully prepare the captains and officers for this technological changeover, a series of practical training sessions at sea started in June. The basis of this training project is a new cooperation between Carnival Maritime and Wessels Reederei, which is providing the LNG- powered container ship WES Amelie for training purposes.

The 30-day on-board training sessions on the WES Amelie enable AIDA’s captains and officers to experience at first hand what it is like to control a LNG-powered vessel under real operating conditions. A training record book is kept throughout to document the skills acquired; the participants also take part in a bunker procedure and an emergency drill. In addition, Carnival Maritime’s landside ship superintendents are completing training courses with Wessels.

“We are very happy to be helping Carnival Maritime by providing our valuable insight and experience in the operation of LNG vessels”, stated Christian Hoepfner of Wessels Reederei. “Safe handling of LNG is a key aspect of the introduction of LNG as a maritime fuel. By contributing our expertise we hope to make the use of LNG more widespread, which will also help to further roll out LNG bunker infrastructure.”

Caroline Baumgärtner, Director Maritime Training Carnival Maritime: “The purpose of practical training is not just to build knowledge, but also to gain confidence in handling the technology and develop safety awareness when using LNG. I am very grateful to Wessels Reederei for their excellent and unbureaucratic support. This cooperation is very valuable for our company and our crews.”

AIDA Captain Vincent Cofalka, who has already completed his training course, added: “To experience hands-on what LNG operations are like on board the WES Amelie was a valuable opportunity, and the support provided by the team on board was tremendous. I would like to thank everyone, also on behalf of my colleagues, for their patience and their untiring willingness to share their knowledge.”

As well as the training courses, Carnival Maritime has a cooperation with LNG supplier Shell. Officers also undergo intensive LNG Management Level Training at the Center for Simulator Maritime Training (CSMART) in Almere in the Netherlands. In the next five years, the Costa Group plans to commission five LNG cruise ships, and Carnival Maritime will be providing the relevant training courses for the crews.

Damen Shiprepair Brest drydocks Norwegian Breakaway

The 326-metre and 146,000 gross ton cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway arrived in Brest on 28 April for 11 days of scheduled maintenance and refurbishment.

The primary objective of the visit was mechanical works on the ship’s two ABB azipods. The DSBr team worked alongside ABB service engineers on both Azipods to repair the shaft bearings and replace the slewing seals. These works required the removal of both propellers and took place in very close coordination with the other teams working on the vessel to ensure that no dust and other contaminants entered the complex systems within the Azipods.

At the same time, DSBr technicians worked with personnel from Brunvoll AS to undertake maintenance of the vessel’s three bowthrusters, as well as dismantling, maintaining and then refitting the two Fincantieri stabilisers. The hull was also repainted, which involved the usual paintworks plus the decorative artwork on the vessel’s forward topsides.

While the Norwegian Breakaway was in DSBr’s 420-metre, number 3, dry dock, large quantities of the carpets inside the cruise ship were removed and replaced by a specialist contractor as part of a rolling programme. DSBr managed the 24/7 logistical flow, ensuring that old carpets were removed on time and the new rolls available for fitting. In addition to the scheduled tasks, that yard also ensured that the client’s subcontractors received full support and handled a wide range of unforeseen requests ranging from the provision of materials and tools to the erection of interior scaffolding.

Laurent Salou, Project Manager at Damen Shiprepair Brest, commented: “I truly believe that all the personnel at Damen Shiprepair Brest really appreciated the opportunity to work on Norwegian Breakaway as the collaboration with the ship’s staff was more than excellent during the entire dry-docking period. I’m personally really proud of the work which has been achieved by my colleagues, and honoured to have worked on such a notable project.

“The client chose us for this project not only because we are capable of handling a ship of this size, but also because we are close to the major cruise terminal at Southampton, which was its last port of call. They were also very satisfied with the works that we performed on the Norwegian Epic in 2015 and I am pleased to be able to report that the client was very happy with performance of the DSBr workers and the yard on this project as well.”

The Norwegian Breakaway left Damen Shiprepair Brest on 8 May at noon, six hours ahead of schedule.