Navantia, better known as Cadiz in cruise circles, had no shortage of big-ship refurbishment projects in 2023, according to the new Drydocking and Refurbishment Report by Cruise Industry News.

The year culminated in the new Icon of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International, as the finishing touches were put on the ship in Spain following her delivery from Meyer Turku before she debuted in North America.

Well located in Spain and with ample room for subcontractors and cranes, the yard was host to a handful of big jobs for Carnival Cruise Line in 2023.

The first was the conversion of the Costa Venezia into the Carnival Venezia, as the ship changed flag states and spent over two months in Spain before starting service from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

Another month-long job for Carnival was for the Carnival Pride, with a near-24/7 work schedule lasting from April 28 to May 26, according to a yard spokesperson. The job included a new hull coating, as well as Carnival’s new hull livery. Plus, the yard assisted with significant technical work and played a supporting role to Carnival’s subcontractors, who were busy working on renovating 450 balconies. Numerous other jobs included new floors, new bars and the addition of a two-deck dining venue.

2023 saw ships drydock not only at Cadiz but at the Puerto Real shipyard as well. Other ships the facilities worked on included the Symphony, Independence and Mariner for Royal Caribbean; the Queen Victoria for Cunard; the Marella Voyager, Explora and Explora 2; the Wind Star, which got a new mast; and the Carnival Freedom, which received a new funnel after fire damage resulted in a trimmed Carnival “whale tail” funnel in 2022.

“We prefabricated the piece here in Cadiz and we managed to successfully fit it in the very reduced time frame of 15 days,” said the spokesperson. “We also carried out a very intensive drydocking consisting of many different repair tasks all having to be coordinated to finish on time