By
Rebecca Gibson |
Damen Shiprepair Oskarshamnsvarvet (DSO) is to undertake a lifetime extension project on passenger ferry Waxholm II, which is operated by Waxholms Ångfartygs (Waxholmsbolaget) in Sweden’s Greater Stockholm region.
Built in 1983, the 35.5-metre-long ferry will arrive at DSO on 1 April 2019 and spend three months in dry dock before resuming service on 3 July. While the 350-passenger vessel is in dry dock, DSO’s team will refurbish her passenger areas, replace the generator and main switchboard, refit the wheelhouse, overhaul the gearboxes and renew the aluminium bulkheads on the saloon deck.
“The three-month deadline will be tight,” said Flip van der Waal, managing director of DSO. “We have some serious challenges ahead of us regarding both the timescale and the budget, but we are confident that, with detailed planning before Waxholm II arrives at the yard and first-class project management while she is here, we will deliver a rejuvenated vessel that will serve her passengers and crew well for many years to come.”
DSO has previously worked with Waxholmsbolaget and its owner Region Stockholm, performing extensive works on Waxholm I and two fast ferries – Roslagen and Skärgården – between 2013 and 2015. Other ferries from Waxholmsbolaget’s fleet have also been repaired and maintained at the yard over the years. DSO also built five fast ferries for the company in the early 1990s.