Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen completes cruise ship project

DECEMBER 24, 2015 — Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen (DSV) recently completed work on the 800 passenger cruise ship Marco Polo.

Owned by Global Maritime and operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages, the ship was launched in 1964 as the Aleksandr Pushkin, by the VEB Mathias-Thesen shipyard in East Germany.

She was at Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen for her tenth special survey and general maintenance and refurbishment. The project took around five weeks to complete.

Work on the ship at DSV included an exterior repainting, interior repairs and maintenance. Other actions included work on the propellers and propeller shafts, reconditioning the bearings on the main engines and servicing the air-conditioning units and gensets. The life-rafts and other safety equipment were also removed and serviced, the cranes and winches overhauled and various minor steel works performed.

Carlos de Vliegere, Sales Manager area Greece at Damen Shiprepair & Conversion says that Athens based Global Maritime and DSV have been working closely together since 2013.”Both Marco Polo and her sister-ship Astor have been coming to Vlissingen regularly to dry dock and undergo inspections and maintenance,” he says.Damen Shiprepair & Conversion has recently won a series of maintenance and repair contracts for cruise ships, thanks to a reputation for short lead times, flexibility, safety, good communication and high quality work.

“Our extensive network of local partners allows us to rapidly source all the equipment and parts necessary for a cruise vessel project,” says Bas Loohuis, Commercial Manager Cruise at DSC. “We understand the importance of proper management of the logistics and our project managers are trained to manage the most complicated and challenging cruise vessel projects.”
As well as the work on the Marco Polo and Astor, other recent cruise ship projects by DSC include repair and maintenance contracts on the 3,220 passenger MSC Magnifica and the 720 passenger Saga Sapphire, both undertaken at Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam.

This past summer, the 1,250 passenger Magellan also completed a five-week scheduled maintenance stopover at Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam while the 4,100 passenger Norwegian Epic departed Damen Shiprepair Brest in October following a three week scheduled refit and maintenance program.

Damen Shipyards Group operates 32 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9,000 people worldwide.