Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

simply by adding a new carpet, decoration or a few key features such as lighting or furniture,” says Simon Dawkins, commercial manager at Trimline. “This enables the operator to maintain all of the ship’s existing features, while keeping costs to a minimum.” Preventative maintenance helps to keep interiors fresh, according to Almaco’s Schobesberger. “We have invested a lot into our after-sales services in recent years, so that we can offer comprehensive and preventive maintenance programmes. By investing in planned maintenance, cruise lines and operators can increase the time between major refits while keeping the equipment and interior spaces working as intended and looking fresh.” And while each of these measures could be integral to the successful upkeep of vessels and their interiors, Lagerlöf from NIT believes that it all comes down to initial quality. “Good workmanship with high quality materials will last a long time and is easy to maintain,” he explains. Solving refurbishment’s waste problem In recent years the cruise industry has redoubled its efforts to clean up the oceans and minimise its environmental impact, through cleaner fuels, water recycling systems and reducing the use of single-use plastics. But while refurbishment is an integral part in ensuring the longevity and relevance of onboard interiors, members of the industry understand that there is work to do to follow in the wider industry’s sustainable footsteps. “Refurbishment waste is one of the most important problems in the marine sector,” says Merve Özçelik, sales and marketing manager at CITA Design. “Leather and fabric materials produce the greatest volumes of waste in our projects. As such, we try to use recyclable products wherever possible to do out bit for a cleaner world.” In addition to recycling, Danish Decoration believes waste management is an equally prominent solution to improve recyclability and reduce the amount of materials that end up in landfill sites. “Correct waste handling has become a big part of refurbishment,” says Kjeldgaard. “As prices for waste disposal have increased significantly in recent years, we created a logistics team to ensure all of the waste is correctly sorted and disposed of in the correct containers.” The 2020 refurbishment season has been lost as a result of Covid-19 and this will mean reduced revenues for shipyards and outfitters, as well as missed opportunities for guests to enjoy new and updated venues. However, the break also presents an opportunity to rethink certain aspects of the refurbishment process. With the slowdown of the supply chain and product availability less immediate, there is a greater incentive to reuse, rethink and rehabilitate ships. In this time, shipyards and designers can also be thinking about how they can improve efficiencies. Organisation, advance planning and communication are the most significant elements in the refurbishment overhaul, in my opinion. The current crisis may also reduce the time between significant refits in the coming years, but this could have some positive consequences on the way ships are outfitted. In my ideal world, cruise ships would not include heavily themed aesthetics as a design concept – they quickly date ships. By opting for more timeless design concepts, comfortable furnishings and neutral tones, the cruise ship operator is being more mindful of the future and opting for less time at the dry dock. This idea of opting for more timeless interiors would also contribute to a more sustainable, less wasteful industry. Since we are at the frontline to the cruise industry, we can be a powerful source of change. We can achieve this by selecting materials that are sustainable, durable, and do not require toxic solutions to withstand rigorous cleaning. We also need to opt for natural and sustainable furnishings and finishes wherever possible and those that are local to shipyards and dry docks to minimise the carbon footprint of transportation. Choosing wellmade, local and sustainable items will help to extend the life of cruise ship interiors and help to create a new industry standard. A designer’s perspective Francesca Bucci, president of BG Studio International BG Studio International helped create the interiors onboard Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Flora, which features sustainable materials and technologies throughout 1 6 9