In April this year, ALMACO delivered a comprehensive cabin modernisation project on board Royal Caribbean’s ‘Allure of the Seas’ during her $100 mill-plus drydock at Navantia Shipyard in Cádiz, Spain.
The project included the addition of 59 new staterooms and 2 bridge wing suites, built across six decks.
Key work areas included the transformation of the old Diamond Club and Bellbox on Decks 11 and 12 into a new stateroom area, as well as the steel-to-steel outfitting of the new forward accommodation block lifted onto Deck 14 above the wheelhouse.
To maximise efficiency, demolition work began after the ship completed its transatlantic voyage to Barcelona, while the ship was sailing to Cádiz. The drydock phase lasted 42 days, during which ALMACO deployed nearly 300 project personnel and installed over 1,000 pallets of new materials.
Esko Ryyppö, ALMACO’s Project Manager, commented: “This has been an exciting and challenging project to work on. We have been part of several projects in Cádiz and Freeport (Bahamas) where new aluminum or steel blocks have been lifted and fitted on existing cruise vessels.
“Doing these projects during a very short drydock period is always an ultimate challenge. These projects cannot be successful without close co-ordination with other parties involved, as well as very detailed pre-project planning—and still, you need to be able to adapt to changes and have contingency plans prepared.
“Great co-operation with Royal Caribbean and Navantia Shipyard made it possible for ALMACO to deliver high-quality service and products. We are happy to once again be working with Royal Caribbean and Navantia, and look forward to our future projects together,” he said.
