Bolidt Synthetic Products & Systems decking and flooring in mainstream cruise ships and superyachts has now been followed up by a series of orders in the fast-emerging polar expedition cruise ship sector.
The most recent contract for the Dutch manufacturer’s products covers the Hurtigruten newbuildings, ‘Roald Amundsen’ and ‘Fridtjof Nansens’, two hybrid propulsion expedition cruise ships under construction at Kleven shipyard in Norway.
These 20,889 gt, 530-pax vessels are both due for delivery next year.
Hapag-Lloyd also has a pair of Polar class expedition cruise ships, ‘Hanseatic Nature’ and ‘Hanseatic Inspiration’, on order at the Vard shipyard in Tulcea, Romania which will feature extensive Bolidt decking systems on board.
These 15,650 gt, 230-pax capacity ships are also due to enter service in 2019.
Jacco van Overbeek, Bolidt’s Director Maritime Division, believes the company’s reputation in the mainstream cruise and yacht sectors has helped it to secure a significant share of the fast-growing expedition cruise sector, whether used for balconies, indoor and outdoor decks and public spaces.
“We have been successful because we are already well known for our high quality of workmanship, flexibility and speed of installation, and for our ability to deploy our own specialised application teams worldwide,” he said. “This enables us to take on jobs at many different yards around the same time.”
However, Van Overbeek added that important innovations were needed to take account of the new environment: “Many of the ships call for heated deck systems, as well as special surface treatments to ensure our products remain resistant to extremely low temperatures.”
Bolidt’s in-house R&D facilities, which include a climate chamber and accelerated weathering lab for testing advanced materials in extreme conditions, have meant that these environmental challenges can be overcome, the company claimed.
Bolidt is supplying a range of synthetic deck products to these vessels, including the patented Bolideck Future Teak, Bolideck Select and Bolideck Helideck. Other Polar class newbuildings under construction that will feature Bolidt decking materials include ‘Crystal Endeavour’, which is the largest Polar cruise yacht yet to be built. The 200-pax capacity, 19,800 gt vessel, is being built in Germany at the MV Werften yard and is due to enter service in 2020.
Bolidt is also working on a series of three luxury Ritz Carlton Cruises vessels, each with capacity for 298 pax, to be delivered in 2020 by Spain’s HJ Barreras shipyard.
In addition, the Dutch company is the preferred supplier for Mystic Cruise’s ‘World Explorer’, which is being built at Portugal’s West Sea Yard for Quark Expeditions. This 9,300 gt vessel will accommodate 176 pax.
As well as new Polar cruise ships, Bolidt products can be found on several existing expedition vessels, including ‘Celebrity Xpedition’ and Linblad Expeditions’ ‘National Geographic Sea Lion’, ‘Sea Bird’, ‘Endeavour’, ‘Explorer’, ‘Islander’, ‘Orion’ and ‘Quest’.
Some of these vessels had Bolidt systems installed at the newbuilding stage, while others have been upgraded during subsequent refits.
