Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam completes maintenance works on cruise vessels Marco Polo and Magellan

Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam (DSAm), part of Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC), has completed maintenance works on cruise vessels Marco Polo and Magellan. Both vessels are operated by British based Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV), part of the Global Maritime Group. The works represent the on-going business relationship between Damen and CMV, the company said in its press release.

Marco Polo is certainly no stranger to Damen Shiprepair & Conversion, having benefitted from maintenance stopovers at Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen in the past.

During the initial docking process at the yard, Marco Polo was inspected by DSAm Project Manager Wouter van den Bossche. “After examining the vessel, we scheduled various equipment overhauls and repainting,” he says. “Our first task was to completely high-pressure clean the hull and then paint the flat bottom and vertical sides in the renowned ‘Marco Polo’ blue. The topside of the vessel was painted at a later stage, which became the critical path for undocking.”

The equipment maintenance included polishing the main propeller and bow thruster blades, and overhauling the main engine coolers. The main engine cooler jacket was removed and replaced with a new jacket fabricated at the yard.

Damen’s work on the 1965-built vessel continued in maintenance, renewal and upgrade works in her public areas and cabins, the air conditioning and evaporator rooms as well as renewal of numerous sea water and fresh water piping and overhauling of the overboard valves. Work on the ship’s rudder – taking rudder clearances and repacking of rudderstock – was also performed.

For Magellan, the maintenance work also marked a return to Damen Shiprepair & Conversion. “She was here last year for a scheduled maintenance stopover,” notes DSAm Project Manager Daniel Gerner. “And, because we often see her sailing to the Amsterdam Cruise terminal, she has become a well-known friend.”

After her initial inspection, the 1985-built vessel presented a substantial work schedule for the Damen team. “A significant part of the docking involved the tail shaft. For example, the starboard propeller hub needed inspection in the workshop. So a special lifting tool was made for removing the hub. Then, after Rolls Royce’s survey, we machined the existing hub, blade carriers and W-plates as per inspector’s instructions.”

Work on Magellan’s propulsion system also included polishing of starboard propeller blades and repairs to the bow and stern thruster blades.

Another major part of the project was installation of a new sewage tank system. This required cropping and removing the existing tanks. This was followed by construction and fitting of new foundations for the new sewage treatment units and strainers. Mr Gerner continues: “The new sewage treatment units were transported in sections from the workshop to the vessel, where they were fitted onto the new foundations and connected later on.”

In addition to maintenance, renewal and upgrade works in her public areas and cabins, repairs of various steel damages and the overhauling of numerous ship’s systems was also necessary. “This included overhauling the main engine blower, tender embarkation cylinders, heaters, evaporator and purifier. And also one of the scupper pipes, which was renewed by Niron Staal’s (based on the same location as DSAm) pipefitters department.”

With her next cruise voyage departing from London on 6 December, Magellan had a tighter schedule than her older sister. “This project was performed within the time scale – utilising short communication lines and a team who was on top of it all the time. We were proud to see Magellan sail away on the 5th of December,” concludes Mr Gerner.

Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 33 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 180 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.

For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

In addition to ship design and shipbuilding, Damen Shiprepair & Conversion has a worldwide network of 16 repair and conversion yards with dry docks ranging up to 420 x 80 metres. Conversion projects range from adapting vessels to today’s requirements and regulations to the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,500 repair and maintenance jobs annually.