Damen Shiprepair already has drydock bookings out to 2025 as it offers multiple facilities in Europe to the cruise industry, as well as a recently-acquired Curacao location that can handle small- and medium-sized ships, according to the 2020 Drydocking and Refurbishment Report by Cruise Industry News.

“Most cruise lines are planning a minimum of a year out. Logistics is everything,” said Rogier van der Laan, product manager cruise.

Highlights in 2019 included the Norwegian Getaway, Seven Seas Navigator, P&O Aurora, the entire Cruise & Maritime Voyages fleet, plus the World Odyssey, Expedition, Ocean Diamond and 30 riverboats, added van der Laan.

Locations in Europe include Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Brest, which is popular for big-ship drydocks due to its proximity to Southampton.

MSC will visit the Rotterdam facility for a two-week drydock in April  2020, and two major projects are also planned with Royal Caribbean.           

The Explorer of the Seas is set for a near two-month refurbishment in Brest, which will include over 1,000 containers of materials, van der Laan said. In addition, the Anthem of the Seas will spend just under a month at a Damen facility for her first scheduled drydock since her 2015 introduction.

“Brest is huge; there is a container terminal next door and we have our own entrance,” van der Laan explained. “Warehousing and logistics are the keys to being successful.”

Damen can handle a significant amount of the work, he continued, with its own steel teams and piping shop.

Across the Atlantic, investments are taking place in the company’s Curacao facility. Already handling some quieter work for cruise lines, Curacao is expected to play a bigger role going forward. Van der Laan pointed to the expedition market as being perfect for the Caribbean facility as ships race between the poles and spend shoulder seasons in the Caribbean.