Norwegian Epic Drydocks at Damen Shiprepair
On Sunday, 27 September, Norwegian Cruise Line’scruise vessel,Norwegian Epic, entered Damen Shiprepair Brest for a scheduled refit and maintenance programme. The vessel will remain in Brest’s largest drydockuntil18 October. The yard, besides executing the repair and maintenance works, provides all necessary logistic services to Norwegian Cruise Line’sarranged contractors.
“This isn’t just another mega-class cruise ship”, explains Robert Diepenbroek, Managing Director at Damen Shiprepair Brest.Norwegian Epic is cruising reimagined with innovations never before seen at sea. Being today’s fifth largest cruise vessel, the ship is a floating hotel with all related facilities, including bars, restaurants, theatres, casinos, swimming pools, etc.
In order to improve the general services demanded of this cruise vessel project, the management of Damen Shiprepair Brest has, together with the local government body ‘La Chambre de Commerce et d’Industriel’ (CCI), decided to implement a number of upgrades to the yard to make it dedicated for cruise vessel retrofits.Amongst other things, the following main investments have been made:
• The installation of a new fire and cooling water supply system. This system will be able to supply up to 800 m3 per hour and can be adjusted by a variable flow control to suit different vessels’ needs.
• An upgrade of the black and grey water disposal. The installation of a sewage system with buffer tanks and pumps (with peak flows up to 60 m3 per hour and a daily discharge of 300-400 m3), connected via pipelines to the facilities sewage treatment plant, will assist during modifications to the cruise vessel on-board system.
• Owner’s subcontractor storage areas and workshops. Dedicated storage and workshop areas for owner’s arranged subcontractors and specialists have been made around the yard’s large drydock no 3.
• Damen has obtained the support of the terminal operator adjacent to the yard for unloading, temporary storage and loading of containers required for cruise projects.
With the above mentioned upgrades, Damen Shiprepair Brest is ready for the cruiseindustry, and, being located as the closest yard to Southampton, the transit time is minimal and therefore shortens the cruise drydock project turn-around significantly. This is of great importance in an industry where time contraints are always a factor for consideration.