Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam (DSAm) recently completed maintenance works on cruise vessels the Marco Polo and Magellan from Cruise & Maritime Voyages.

The Marco Polo is certainly no stranger to Damen Shiprepair & Conversion, having benefitted from maintenance stopovers at Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen in the past, according to a statement from the ship yard.

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 said. “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 work 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,” noted 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. Gerner continued:

“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,” he said.

In addition to maintenance, renewal and upgrade work in her public areas and cabins, repairs of various steel damage and the overhauling of numerous ship’s systems was also necessary.