Damen: Growing Cruise Ship Drydocks Scheduled to 2030

Damen is seeing growing project scopes and has ships scheduled up to 2030 according to the 2023 Drydock and Refurbishment Report by Cruise Industry News.

“We have exact dates up to 2030 already,” said Rogier van der Laan, global product manager of cruise maintenance and upgrade services at Damen.

“We are seeing bookings far out. There are three back-to-back ships scheduled in 2025, and one is an especially huge conversion,” van der Laan added.

Damen completed multiple projects in 2022 as well. Among 2022 highlights were the Emerald Princess drydocking in Rotterdam, the Seabourn Odyssey in Curacao as well as the Celebrity Xpedition, and the winter conversion of the Maasdam into the Renaissance for French start-up CFC.

The former Maasdam arrived at Damen’s Brest, France, facility in October, entered drydock in November and is scheduled to start sailing in the spring.

The yard will handle steelwork, maintenance and more, and help interior contractors with logistics, container shipments and more.

“With the supply chain problems, logistics can be a challenge. For the yard, it’s not a problem, but getting supplies from the manufacturers can be a big issue and the price is going up everywhere,” he said.

Overall, van der Laan said the outlook was “very good” for the company’s yards, with its European facilities looking after ships of any size and its Curacao drydock perfectly suited for smaller ships and expedition ships moving between the polar regions.

Across the industry, van der Laan said that Tier III updates for ships would be a trend in coming years, allowing them to sail in sensitive areas.

Planning has tightened up with changing budgets and project scopes from cruise customers, meaning five to six months out instead of a year for a project plan.

“But we are flexible. It’s always changing,” van der Laan said. “There can be change orders or unforeseen steelwork, and we can do that.”

A Look at the 13 Charter Cruises on Norwegian Pearl

With Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings rolling out its “Experiences at Sea” division, the company also announced the Norwegian Pearl will sail 13 back-to-back theme/charter cruises starting later this month.

The 13 back-to-back cruises from Jan. 20, 2023 – Mar. 27, 2023, include:

  • Cruise Perfect (Jan. 20 –23) Miami to Nassau, Bahamas – The five dudes from Dude Perfect host an action-packed three-day cruise full of trick shots, challenges and fun for the whole family.
  • The Rock Boat XXII (Jan 23. – 28) Miami to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Nassau, Bahamas – Guests will enjoy a five-day cruise hosted by Sister Hazel and featuring over 30 acts from Need to Breathe, Neon Trees, American Authors, Lit and so much more.
  • On the Blue (Jan. 28 – Feb. 2) Miami to Harvest Caye, Belize to Costa Maya, Mexico – Hosted by Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, guests will enjoy a five-day classic rock cruise featuring an array of musical performances.
  • Chris Jericho’s Rock N Wrestling Rager at Sea (Feb. 2 – 6) Miami to Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas – Chris Jericho hosts a four-day cruise featuring the perfect blend of rock and world-class wrestling.
  • Nursecon at Sea (Feb. 6 – 10) Miami to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic – The Ultimate Nursing Conference created by Nurse Blake will provide attendees with the perfect balance of vacation, entertainment, fun with professional learning (including accredited CNE courses) and networking.
  • Cayamo 15 (Feb. 10 – 17) Miami to Philipsburg, St. Maarten and Tortola, British Virgin Islands – Guests will celebrate the 15th anniversary of this Americana journey through song with over 40 artists, featuring Jeff Tweedy, Andrew Bird, Trampled by Turtles, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Patty Griffin, Neko Case, Shovels & Rope and many more.
  • Sail Across the Sun (Feb. 17 – 21) Miami to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic – Guests will embark on a four-day cruise hosted by Train with performances from over 20 artists including Fitz and the Tantrums, G. Love & Special, plus comedy from Nick Swardson, wine tastings and more.
  • Outlaw Country Cruise 7 (Feb. 21 – 27) Miami to Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas to Cozumel, Mexico – Celebrating the seventh edition, guests will enjoy performances from over 40 artists including once-in-a-lifetime collaborations, featuring The Mavericks, John Anderson, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle & The Dukes and more.
  • The Friendship (Feb. 27- March 3) Miami to Nassau, Bahamas to Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas – Hosted by All My Friends and Gary Richards, DESTRUCTO, the music festival returns for its third year hosting a soon-to-be-announced line-up of artists and schedule of events for electric dance music (EDM) aficionados.
  • The Beach Boys Cruise (March 3 – 8) Miami to Harvest Caye, Belize to Costa Maya, Mexico – The Beach Boys are not only bringing their good vibrations, but also performances by The Isley Brothers, The Temptations, The Righteous Brothers, Mark McGrath and so many more on this five-day cruise.
  • 311 Caribbean Cruise 7 (March 8 – 13) Miami to Harvest Caye, Belize to Roatan, Honduras – 311 host 3/11 Day at Sea with featured performances by Arrested Development, G. Love & Special Sauce, Less Than Jake, and more, plus shows from comedians still to be announced.
  • Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea VIII (March 13 – 17) Miami to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic – Joe Bonamassa hosts a celebration of blues with over 20 artists, featuring Little Feat, Dion, Bobby Rush, Robert Randolph Band and more.
  • Atlantis (March 17 – 27) Miami to Key West to Cozumel, Mexico to Harvest Caye, Belize to Colon, Panama to Cartagena, Colombia to Georgetown, Grand Cayman – Each Atlantis cruise offers a carefree experience for the gay community based around friendship, camaraderie, relaxation, indulgence, adventure and pure uninhibited fun.
  • Plus: The Broadway Cruise (March 31 – April 5) New York City to Bermuda on Norwegian Gem – Guests can immerse themselves in the world of Broadway with special performances from Tony-Award winners Laura Benanti, Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming and more, plus panels and activities from the best creators in the business.