112 REPORT A Spanish success story Repair and refurbishment specialist Navantia completed projects on 14 cruise ships in 2023 and is set for a similarly busy 2024 With two facilities in the Bay of Cadiz, south of Seville in Spain, Spanish stateowned shipbuilding company Navantia offers docking facilities for refits, repairs and revitalisation projects for cruise ships of any size, from small luxury vessels through to those with the largest occupancy in the industry. The shipyard in Cadiz specialises in the maintenance, repair and modernisation of mega cruise ships. It is home to the biggest dry dock in Europe, allowing Navantia teams to work on ships up to 370 metres long and 60 metres wide. This site boasts more than 3,000 metres of smooth quay with a nine-metre draught, a wastewater treatment plant, and both electrical and saltwater supply facilities. Navantia’s Cadiz shipyards are ideally situated between the Mediterranean and Caribbean cruise routes, meaning ships do not need to deviate from their routes when heading to dry dock for routine maintenance or refurbishment projects. The climate in the region also means work is rarely delayed due to bad weather or poor conditions, which is particularly useful for external tasks, such as surface treatments and painting. The Navantia teams in Cadiz repaired and refurbished a total of 14 cruise ships in 2023, including Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Freedom (read more in our Refit Report on page 106), Windstar Cruises’ sailing yacht Wind Star and Marella Cruises’ Marella Explorer II. In 2024, the teams will complete repair and refit work on more than 10 cruise ships. Navantia also has shipyards in three other locations in Spain, as well as headquarters in Madrid. To continue building on its success, the shipbuilder expanded its operations in 2022 by opening an office in Miami, Florida, giving it an important presence in what is commonly known as the ‘cruise capital of the world’. Navantia will showcase its facilities at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami from 8 to 11 April 2024. Navantia shipyard’s team members fabricated and installed a new winged funnel on Carnival Freedom as part of the ship’s 2023 refit Photo: Navantia
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