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“Ueberwaltigend” (German for overwhelming) was the reactien of
Lars Clasen as he walked through the newly converted 70.000-ton A’Rosa
Blu in June 2002 at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven Shipyard in Germans. The 12-year-old
cruise ship, formerly the Crown Princess, had undergone a total interior conversion
plus repairs and maintenance to hull and machinery at the shipyard on a very
tight schedule. Clasen, president of Seetours, the German branch of P&O
Princess Cruises and the ship’s new owner, noted: “In May 1 saw
the ship in a stage where everything was being torn down. But by early June
after only 36 days in the shipyard and an investment of EUR 35 million the vew
A’Rosa Blu’s conversion was completed and everything was ready for
the guests to arrive”
Seetours’ design goal for the conversion project was to create a very
sophisticated cruise ship for the German market. Seetours personnel, the marine
architectural firm of Partner Ship Design in Hamburg, an Lloyd Werft began the
engineering, architectural and design work far in advance of Seetours actually
taking ownership of the Crown Princess. And although the signing of the contact
between Seetours and Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven in October 2001 occurred six months
before the vessel’s transfer to Seetours, “the shipyard immediately
started with the prefabrication work.” Clasen said.
The plans established during more than a year of pre-planning began to be smoothly
implemented on April 24, 2002 immediately after the last American cruise passengers
left the ship in Fort Lauderdale. “The ship was completely destocked an
all Princess belongings were taken ashore. About 20 containers with material
and tools were taken onboard.” Said Christian Schonrock, senior superintendent
of newbuildings at Seetours. The ship sailed the next day at 15:00 hours with
a crew of 200. including some members of the old crew plus 270 workers from
Lloyd Werft and its subcontactors. Conversion work commenced immediately and
during the 12-day working voyage to Bremerhaven: partitions, equipment and items
not to be reused were removed. The ship arrived in Bremerhaven on May 5 and
the shipyard contact clock started to run. “The contracted refit time
was 36 days and the date of delivery was agreed to as the 10th of June at 18:00
hours.” Said Schonrock.
Seetours’ Holiday Concept
Gone is the Crown Princess’ old dining room and the gallerys built to
serve two seatings on fixed meal schedules. Seven different restaurant types
now allow cruise passengers to enjoy the freedom of personal choice dining.
Atmosphere was important to the planners, so changes were also made to the Pool
Deck. Schonrock said. The conversion project created “a landscape with
wider catwalk, new tiled pools, new pool bar,completely new decoration including
beach chairs and artificial palm trees, new decorative stairs and railings,
and integration of a big stage with sound and light system and tent construction.
Designed to appeal to the A’Rosa Blu’s anticipated clientele, Seetours’
planners selected the former Crown Princess’ big dome over the bridge
for conversion to its “magnificent two-deck level spa facility.”
The A’Rosa Blu has 1,150 square meters dedicated to relaxation, saunas,
massages, and pampered treatment.
All public areas and passenger cabins underwent various degrees of upgrading
including new carpets, new furniture, fabrics, washbasins, lighting and decorative
art. Heavens, the ship’s modern nightclub, can be also used for daytime
functions.
During drydocking at Lloyd Werft work necessary for the complete renewal of
Class certifications was carried out. The hull up to Deck 12 was water blasted
to remove all previous protective coatings and underwater hull surfaces were
repainted with TBT-free paint, according to Schonrock. The superstructure was
completely repainted. The shipyard performed complete service of all machinery,
elevators, engines and the electrical propulsion system. “All technical
and safety systems were upgraded in a way that the ship complies with SOLAS
2005,” Schonrock said. – Richard Aichele
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