The Celebrity Edge completed her first drydocking following her 2018 delivery toward the end of 2023, spending some time out of the water in Marseille, said Manolo Cavaliere, commercial manager for Chantier Naval de Marseille as well as San Giorgio del Porto, in an interview for the 2024 Drydocking and Refurbishment Report by Cruise Industry News.

“It was a standard drydock after five years in service,” said Cavaliere. “Everyone was happy, and our part was mainly underwater work and maintenance of the thrusters and pods.

“From our side, we finished the job early. It was all about coordination between us and the customer. We all prepared together, and when you have a successful drydock, it means you have prepared well in advance. If you can clarify as much as possible in advance, it’s easier when the ship is in the dock.”

Cavaliere said it was all about timing in the cruise market.

“Respecting the time frame for cruise ships is fundamental,” he continued, as cruise lines won’t tolerate losing any revenue days.

Another Celebrity ship is scheduled to drydock at the Marseille facility in 2024, he noted, and as the Edge left the drydock, the Costa Diadema was next up in early November.

“For 2024 and 2025 our bookings are good. We have the biggest drydock in the area in Marseille,” said Cavaliere, also noting that the company owns a facility in Genoa that has done some large projects on smaller and medium-sized ships over the years, including the May 2023 drydock of the Silver Endeavour.

Bookings for next year also include vessels from Carnival Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. Scheduling is already happening into 2026, and Cavaliere said he expects bigger projects in 2025 and beyond, although he hinted at a one-month refurbishment that could head his way in 2024.

“Planning is starting two years out,” he continued, “but planning more than that far ahead is not so easy, as the cruise lines are still working on deployment and where the ships will be.”

Marseille is located almost perfectly for ships in the Mediterranean, as it is quickly becoming its own key turn port, and is nearby Barcelona, another major homeport.

“We just took over another 30,000 square meters of space, close to Dock 10, our biggest drydock. We are planning to build some covered area, not only for us and the shipowners but for our contractors and subcontractors, who are always looking for space,” said Cavaliere.