GALLERY: Damen Revamps Astor and Marco Polo

Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen (DSV) has completed refurbishment of cruise ships Astor and Marco Polo, both operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages.

The vessels have been at DSV for a wide-ranging programme of work, scheduled and unscheduled, Damen said.

 Astor, featuring passenger capacity of just over 600 travellers, arrived at DSV on 17 October. Whilst in port she underwent a DNV GL Class Survey as Damen carried out diverse tasks.

The scheduled maintenance included high-pressure washing and painting of the underwater part of the vessel, overhaul of overboard valves, hull anode renewal, maintenance and recertification of lifeboats, gangway repairs and certification and renewal of ducting and ventilators from engine room air-supply.

 Peter Sterkenburg, Head of Sales & Marketing at Damen Shiprepair & Conversion, said: “The work on the Astor was not without its challenges – the sheer diversity of the tasks we performed ensured that. The logistics were perhaps the greatest consideration – we had to manage this extensive scope, alongside a class survey, whilst 140 of the vessel’s crew remained on board throughout. I’m pleased to say we did everything according to plan and all work was completed in time for Astor to sail on 4 November.”

The 176.25 metre ship sailed from Vlissingen to Tilbury in the UK where she collected the remainder of her crew and passengers for a voyage to Australia.

Only days later, on 11 November, Marco Polo arrived in Vlissingen. The vessel, though similarly sized to Astor, accommodates up to 800 passengers.

Marco Polo was scheduled for a class survey and similar scope of maintenance to Astor. However, a recent grounding in Norway added an extra dimension to the project.

 Mr Sterkenburg said:“The grounding caused some minor steel damage to the flat bottom of the vessel, so we’ve had to factor that into the planning on top of the scheduled work and class survey. Naturally, this has made the work more challenging, but we are used to this kind of project and to reacting quickly when something changes. Everything went according to plan.”

Marco Polo, having left DSV on 11 December, collected her passengers in the Amsterdan, Antwerp and Tilburg and sailed on to Brazil and the Amazon.

World Maritime News Staff; Gallery: Damen