“Logistics rule in cruise ship repair,” said Joe O’Rourke, vice president and general manager at Seaspan Victoria Shipyards.

The Seaspan facility drydocked both the Norwegian Sun and Ruby Princess in 2018, according to the 2019 Drydocking and Refurbishment Report by Cruise Industry News.

“For the Sun, we had around 700 containers and 70-plus truckloads – 53 footers – so logistics planning starts about six months prior,” said O’Rourke.

The Sun’s 14-day drydocking was a large project that included normal rudder and propulsion maintenance as well as a considerable amount of steel work. There was also a large contingent of outside contractors working on hotel upgrades.

“We enjoy doing cruise work; there is an intensity to what needs to be done in a certain period of time. The ship needs to be returned at an absolute certain date and time. It breeds a culture of performance and getting to the finish line.”

The Ruby Princess drydocking in fall 2018 saw the yard install a pair of scrubbers over the nine-and-a-half day docking.

O’Rourke said the Seaspan facility was perfectly positioned for cruise lines in the West Coast and Alaska market, a short distance from major homeports in Seattle and Vancouver

Planning generally begins around eight months in advance. There will be customer meetings, and a scope of work is defined along with a spec package and pricing.

Is the scope of work changing? Perhaps slowly, but not in a big way.

“It goes back and forth. You have a tendency to fall into a class of vessel. As it ages, the work package changes. You may do more with steel work, rudder and shaft and propulsion units. Everyone is doing some version of compliance with emissions standards.”

—

Go inside the world of cruise ship drydocking and refurbishment with the 2019 Cruise Industry News Drydocking and Refurbishment Report, presenting a 100-page overview of the $3 billion annual cruise ship drydock and refit market including a full 2019, 2020, 2021 estimated drydocking scheduled based on available data and research.

The report offers interviews with key drydocking executives from cruise lines, suppliers and shipyards, as well as case studies, trend reports and much more.