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10 | Sh ipBu i ld ing Indus t r y | Vo lume 6 | I ssue 1

SH IP REF IT, REPA IR & CONVERS ION

Gibdock GrowsGibdock’s growing reputation as one of the leading cruise ship repair and refurbishment

centres in the Mediterranean has been enhanced by the docking of the 42,255GT,

1992-built Pullmantur Zenith. The vessel arrived in Gibraltar on 7 November last year

for work that had to be completed within tight time constraints and left on schedule on

20 November 2011, en route to Brazil for its next cruise itinerary.

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Sh ipBu i ld ing Indus t r y | Vo lume 6 | I ssue 1 | 11

>

O ther recent cruise ship visitors to Gibdock

have included the Thompson Destiny,

owned by Louis Cruises, which also docked in

November. This was the third time the owner has

docked the vessel in Gibraltar, on this occasion

for relative routine docking and repair work.

Gibdock chief executive, Joe Corvelli says: “We

are targeting the cruise ship market in a big way,

and contracts for major players like Saga, Louis

Cruises, Columbia and Pullmantur show we are

fast becoming a force to be reckoned with. Our

location makes us an ideal choice for operators

cruising in the Mediterranean in particular and we

have been able to demonstrate an ability to

complete demanding work programmes within

fairly tight time limits, which is vital for cruise

operators, who need to know they can get to their

next port of call on time to pick up passengers.”

Into the BreachFacilities at Gibdock include three drydocks, the

largest of which measures 272 x 38 x 10 m, and

two repair quays. As a result the company can

handle the majority of cruise vessels operating in

the region. Gibdock’s ability to handle complex

structural repair work on large cruise ships was

also demonstrated towards the end of 2010 when

it successfully completed demanding back-to-

back repairs on two Pullmantur vessels, Empress

and Sovereign. Both projects required significant

amounts of steel renewal as well as routine

drydocking work.

Gibdock is proving to be an increasingly important

yard for the Mediterranean’s cruise industry,

commercial director Richard Beards points out.

“With cruise repair facilities in Barcelona closing

down, we are showing that we are more than

capable of stepping into the breach.” Last year,

cruise visitors to Gibdock included the

33,930GRT, 215m cruise vessel Thomson

Celebration for first time customer, Cyprus-based

Columbia Ship Management. The ship docked in

March for an extensive package of works that

included general drydocking and tailshaft

overhauls, as well as the renewal of around 40 t of

steel on one of its decks.

BreakthroughConfirming their fast-rising status, Gibraltar-based

Gibdock completed a drydocking contract for

UK-based Saga Holidays in May 2011. The niche

cruise operator docked the 9,570GT, 139m Spirit

of Adventure for a 10-day programme of works,

including steel repairs to the bulbous bow and a

comprehensive external clean and repaint. At the

time, Richard Beards commented: “This is

another important breakthrough for the yard as it

is the first time we have had the opportunity to

work for Saga, which has in the past used other

yards in the region. The project was completed on

time and within budget, and we are hopeful that

we can build further on this initial collaboration

through additional projects with Saga in the

future.”

The 350-passenger capacity Spirit of Adventure

was originally built by HDW in Germany as Berlin

in 1980 and was acquired by Saga in 2005 for its

Spirit of Adventure Cruises brand. The vessel,

home ported in Dover, offers cruises to a wide

range of destinations, including the UK,

Scandinavia, the Middle East, South East Asia

and Australasia, as well as the Mediterranean.

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12 | Sh ipBu i ld ing Indus t r y | Vo lume 6 | I ssue 1

HolesGibdock was tasked with renewing the

rudderneck bushes, which required the drilling of

two holes in the bottom floor of the drydock so

that the Pullmantur Zenith’s two rudders could be

lowered to get them out. “Not many yards would

go to such lengths”, says Richard Beards. “But it

shows our flexibility and willingness to do

whatever is necessary to meet our customer’s

requirements.”

The scope of work also included renewing the

four chillers onboard. To fit the new chillers the

yard had to cut open both sides of the ship and

renew almost all the associated PVC and

non-PVC pipework. This had to be done to a

tight timetable so that the chillers would be

commissioned and ready for when the

passengers came onboard.

Time to SpareFurthermore, during a survey the tank top steel in

two compartments was found to be corroded

below the thickness levels set by Class and

Gibdock handled the necessary steel renewal

work. Work included opening access in the

bottom to facilitate the renewal and strengthening

of the tank top steel to the satisfaction of Class.

Shortly before the arrival of the Pullmantur Zenith

– during tank cleaning for the survey – the

forepeak tank was found to have some old

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SHIP REF IT, REPA IR & CONVERS ION

ShipBu i ld ing Indus t r y | Vo lume 6 | I ssue 1 | 13

weather damage that was causing corrosion

within the forepeak. The shipyard was notified and

responded by renewing the corroded steel before

the vessel was due to leave the dock. Gibdock

also recoated the external hull of the cruise ship.

While this was in many respects a routine

operation, the yard had to contend with poor

weather conditions, but completed the work with

time to spare.

Out of the Yard“We were able to float off our blocks early and

maintain our schedule without difficulty”, says

Jan Sandvik, Pullmantur Cruises’ technical director.

“The yard was flexible in adjusting its work pattern

to follow our requirements in getting the ship out of

the yard on time. Pullmantur’s previous experience

of using Gibdock, docking a number of vessels

with the yard in recent years, played a part in the

yard winning this latest project. “Gibdock has

proven that they are able to handle unplanned jobs

in a timely manner and we were confident in the

ability to deliver on time”, says Jan Sandvik.

“Deviation time was also minimal.”

Vote of ConfidenceCommenting further on the yard’s flexibility in

dealing with situations during the docking, Jan

Sandvik adds: “I was impressed with their pro-

activeness in solving problems. The yard was

open to the rapid changes sometimes needed

when things were not going quite as predicted.

They also took the time to understand what was

needed and to prepare well.” Gibdock says it

looks forward to continuing its close working

relationship with Pullmatur Cruises over the

coming year. “Pullmantur is a repeat customer

and the docking of the Pullmantur Zenith is

another vote of confidence in us”, Richard Beards

says.

i. www.gibdock.com

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Gibdock’s key strategic aim to carve a niche in the

growing regional market for jack-up and semi-

submersible drilling rig repairs, maintenance and

modification work, has moved an important step

closer. Following the arrival in October 2011 of the

22,604GT Etesco Millennium semi-submersible,

built in 1976 by Marathon Le Tourneau and

upgraded in 2006, steel repair work has been

carried out afloat and tasks in the pipeline include

tank cleaning and repair, and work to enable safe

mooring. The contract is an important landmark for

Gibdock, which has not handled a drilling rig since

1998. “We believe that the successful completion

of this project will lead to more work of this type”,

says Richard Beards. “It is part of our future

strategy to get into the semisubmersible and jack-

up rig sector and having the Etesco Millennium in

Gibdock can only help us to achieve this target.”

Seabed SurveyIn another important initiative to support its rig

market strategy, Gibdock has commissioned an

extensive survey of the seabed alongside its

wharves. Joe Corvelli, Gibdock says: “We

investigated the harbour bottom in the area of the

main wharf to be able to understand the suitability

of the ground for landing a jack-up rig. The

conclusion was that the area is perfectly suitable

for receiving jack-up spud cans and was soft

enough that they would not be damaged, but

hard enough that the weight would be supported

and the structure safely moored.”

Armed with this technical appraisal and the

showcase provided by the Etesco Millennium

contract, Gibdock is confident it is on the verge of

an important breakthrough in this sector. “The

quality of our staff and our facilities make us

extremely well suited to this kind of work,” says

Mr Corvelli. “There is simply no better location to

handle rig repair repairs and, with demand for rigs

in West Africa, the Mediterranean and Black Sea

getting stronger, we believe we are well placed to

secure more rig business in the coming year.”

Carving a Niche

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