“Naturally, the equipment onboard was never designed for long, unplanned lay ups like the ones the industry is experiencing today,” said Nicolas Lesbats, Vice President Service Division at ALMACO, a major supplier of galley equipment to the cruise industry.

“Managing the equipment, meaning performing a proper switch-off and maintenance during layup, but also conducting a thorough recommissioning, saves money and ensures the ship is ready for action when the ship bell starts ringing again,” he said.

During a cold lay-up, a modern cruise ship could have as little as 40 crew or less aboard, making equipment monitoring and maintenance difficult. Crew remaining may not have the necessary training for the tasks they are now expected to perform. Challenges can include equipment damage, unnecessary energy use and delays once the ship is put back into service.

Lesbats said there are five keys to protect equipment. They are: safety, making sure no liquids or food is left inside equipment, using the correct chemicals for cleaning, inspecting for damaged parts and covering dismantled equipment with blankets or plastic for protection, while leaving doors slightly open. 

The next challenge comes to recommissioning equipment when ships are put back into service.

“The short answer is proper recommission with the help of ALMACO’s OEM certified team that goes through every single piece of equipment at the same time,” Lesbats  said. “If your ships are laid up in close proximity to one another, additional cost savings can be made by recommissioning the equipment of all the ships during the same booking.

“Most ships have a lot of galley and laundry equipment to attend to and it can be an overwhelming task to get every single detail right. Our engineers are ready to jump in and take care of the whole project in a cost-efficient way that is consistent with the OEM instructions and saves you from unnecessary equipment damage and energy consumption.”