Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth was at Damen Shiprepair Brest (DSBr) for a 12-day repair and refit program in November.

She is the most recent addition to the Cunard fleet, having been delivered in 2010.

The program was highly intensive with a series of major systems being overhauled or installed, according to a statement.

On arrival the ship was placed in Damen Shiprepair Brest’s drydock Np. 3, one of the largest in Europe at 420 meters, and the relevant manufacturers began immediately on maintenance to her stabilizers, ABB Azipods, bow thrusters and water intakes.

Meanwhile, above the waterline work was going on to install twin exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) which, along with all the pipe and ducting work, involved the removal of two cabins to accommodate the additional equipment, Damen said. 

On the hotel side, refurb work included a series of staterooms and corridors, along with the ship’s spa and retail area.

Ashore, the yard’s team performed routine maintenance to Queen Elizabeth’s lifeboats, liferafts and tenders, and the yard also cleaned and repainted the hull and topsides of the ship.

The refit was completed a day early with the ship heading to Southampton on the morning of Nov. 27.