Princess Cruises’ ‘Regal Princess’ recently underwent a rare engine replacement while drydocked at Damen Shiprepair in Rotterdam.
The work was part of a wider repair project that took place in late April.
“The ’Regal Princess’ is a ‘Royal’ class cruise ship that has four diesel generators. The main reason it came into our drydock is that it had an engine failure and needed it replaced,” explained Alexander Stijlaart, Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam’s Project Manager.
“We facilitated this engine exchange together with our sister company, Damen Harbour & Voyage,” he added.
“They did all the preparation work before the ship came into drydock. They already went on board a couple of weeks prior.”
‘Regal Princess’ arrived at the Rotterdam repair yard on 25th April, 2025, before resuming service on 9th May with a summer schedule in Northern Europe.
Stijlaart described the detailed process: “When the ship came into drydock, we had to execute the scope, which meant we had to pump water out of the dock, cut the shell plate out, cut the internal bulkhead out, then put the skidding tracks in, jack the engine up and out.”
After removing the damaged engine, the team installed the new one, completing the project with a fresh hull coating.
Damen explained that this type of engine switch was uncommon, typically occurring only once or twice every 10 years.
“We had to make sure that everything that was obstructing the path of the engine was cleared, so we removed all piping, pumps and walkways,” said Remco Trouerbach, Project Manager at Damen Shiprepair Harbour & Voyage.
Trouerbach said that what made this job especially unique was that the ship remained operational before and after drydocking.
He also praised the smooth collaboration with Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam: “We are basically colleagues with each other; therefore, issues you’re facing during the project can be easily worked out,” he said.
