By
Donald Crighton |
Canada’s Victoria Shipyards refurbishes many cruise ships operating on the west coast of North America, with a particular focus currently on those engaged in Alaska itineraries, VP and general manager Malcolm Barker tells Donald Crighton
Between April and October, the company docked around 35 vessels, many of these for cruise operators. “Half our commercial work, as opposed to our Government work, was on cruise ships,” says Barker. “Cruise ships usually require docking twice in every five years. These include transitional dockings and dockings prior to repositioning.”
With slots reserved for all the major cruise ship operators, including Carnival Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess Cruises, he notes: “We have a full order book and currently have cruise ships booked for drydocking for the next three years; most of these vessels are on the Alaska run.”
During the past year the yard has completed several big projects on cruise ships, including Princess Cruises’ Pacific Princess, which came in for a major conversion including top side work, steelwork, mechanical repairs and a considerable amount of pipework. The drydock also required blasting and coating of large areas of the hull.
“Altogether she was in dock for 10 days,” says Barker. “During that time we employed 500 workers plus another 800 subcontractors. This type of refit usually takes between 10 and 14 days.”
Barker explains that the cost of cruise ship dockings varies enormously depending on the work required. “A normal docking and refit can cost anything between CAD$2 million and CAD$5 million, but CAD$10 million is not unusual. A major extended refit or conversion can easily take up to 45 days and cost CAD$50 million.”
The yard carries out its refits in the 1,186ft x 126ft Esquimalt Drydock which is owned by the Federal Government of Canada. It is always easier for a cruise ship to be repaired in drydock, which enables the repairer to carry out work on both sides of the vessel at the same time.
An important factor for ships cruising to Alaska is ensuring that there are no smoke emissions. It is also vital to make sure that there are reductions in the use of energy. This includes more than just the hydrodynamics of the vessel, and creates considerable work for the repair yard.
Victoria Shipyards is particularly experienced in reducing energy use in areas such as in the engine room and on the propulsion pods, rudder, hull openings and sea injections. In addition, items such as refrigeration units, pumps, motors and laundry equipment all require attention and contribute to the volume of work required during the refit.
“We have been extremely busy recently and I believe this is because we are known as one of the best and most reliable shipyards in the region for cruise ship drydocking and refits,” says Barker. “We have a reputation for the quality of our workmanship, which is vital. We also have a reputation for delivering on time and within price.”
This article appeared in the Autumn/Winter 2014 edition of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read other articles, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.