Germany: Phoenix Reisen Sends Two Ships to Lloyd Werft

As recently as last May, Lloyd Werft converted the cruise liner MS “Artania” (ex “Artemis”) for Phoenix Reisen. Now the Bonn-based shipping company is sending two cruise ships to Bremerhaven at the same time for work designed to make them fit for winter cruises around the world. Lloyd Werft has just seven and 14 days respectively to carry out extensive work on the 28,518 GT, 830-passenger MS “Albatros” and the 28,856 GT, 600-passenger MS “Amadea”.

MS “Albatros” arrives in Bremerhaven November 30. The former “Royal Viking Sea” was lengthened at Lloyd Werft by 28 m in 1983. The 205.46 m long cruise liner will stay until December 17th . One of the main jobs being undertaken on the ship in the giant Kaiserdock 11 is the installation of a new bulbous bow.

“This will save the owner about five percent of his fuel costs”, said Lloyd Werft Managing Director Rüdiger Pallentin, explaining the need for the big operation on the ship’s hull. The cruise ship, built in 1973 at Wärtsilä in Helsinki, is, by the way, a sister of the “Black Watch” which sails for Fred Olsen Cruises and has just left Lloyd Werft after undergoing repair work.

“Albatros” has in the meanwhile been sailing for Phoenix and will leave Lloyd Werft on December 17th to begin a world cruise with 830 passengers on board after additional repair and maintenance work.

The same is the case with “Albatros”. That 192.5 m long cruise ship was built as “Asuka” in Japan in 1991 for the Nippon Yusen Kaisha Shipping Company and has flown the Phoenix flag since 2006. Extensive repair work is scheduled for the vessel in Lloyd Werft’s big floating dock from December 4th. Stabilisers and crankshaft plant will be overhauled and steel work undertaken as well as painting work on the sub-surface hull. Along with MS “Albatros”, “Amadea” is due to leave Lloyd Werft on December 17th prior to another world cruise for 600 passengers.

[mappress]
World Maritime News Staff, December 5, 2011