P&O Cruises Ventura completes two week docking at Damen Brest

P&O Cruises Ventura at Damen Shiprepair Brest

APRIL 9, 2018 — The P&O Cruises Grand-class cruise ship Ventura recently completed a two week docking at Damen Shiprepair Brest (DSBr), France.

The 291.4 m, 116 grt vessel was delivered by Fincantieri’s Monfalcone, Italy, shipyard in 2008 and this was her first visit to the Brest shipyard, where she underwent a regular docking along with a range of maintenance work and the installation of two exhaust gas scrubbers — for which DSBr designed, manufactured and installed a sea chest.

While the Ventura was in DSBr’s Drydock number 3, at 420 m by 80m the largest of the shipyard’s dry docks, the hull was ultra-high-pressure water blasted and then, along with the superstructure, repainted. Additional works included maintenance of the propulsion systems and stabilizers, plus other minor repairs.

As with all cruise ship dockings, completing the works within the scheduled period was absolutely critical with the Ventura due to depart Southampton on March 28 on a 12-day cruise.

The logistics were particularly challenging, with a wide range of subcontractors needing access to the vessel both inside and out, and hundreds of containers, trucks and garbage skips to be positioned around the dock and maneuvered as necessary during the two-week period.

Meticulous planning and exact specification of all the different tasks to be undertaken took place in the months before the vessel’s arrival. That, plus excellent organization while she was in the yard, was the key to success. In the event, the Ventura departed DSBr on March 26, with all works completed and in top shape for her 3,574 passengers and 1,220 crew.

“This is the first time that we have welcomed a vessel owned by Carnival plc (which operates the P&O Cruises brand),” said Patrick Renavot, Managing Director Damen Shiprepair Brest, “and we were delighted that the project was a success. All planned work was finished on time and the vessel returned to its busy schedule on schedule.”