The Scenic Eclipse I luxurious cruise vessel recognized for its polar expeditions is racing to finish a serious restore in Galveston, Texas, simply weeks earlier than its scheduled Antarctica season.
The 228-passenger, 17,545-gross ton Scenic Eclipse I entered dry dock in Texas on October 28, 2024, for the pressing alternative of one among its two Azipod propulsion models.
These models are important for navigating the icy waters of the southern continent, and restore should be performed earlier than the ship launches its Antarctica season.
With Scenic Cruise’s first Antarctica voyage scheduled for November 27, 2024, the group is pulling out all of the stops to verify the ship is totally operational and able to launch on time.
To expedite the restore, a brand new Azipod unit is being flown in from Zurich, Switzerland, on a chartered Antonov 124 Ruslan, one of many world’s largest cargo planes.
Scenic Cruises has additionally enlisted the assistance of ABB Group, the unique provider of the Azipod system, to put in and take a look at the brand new unit on-site to make sure needed repairs are accomplished on time.
“The group are assured the present planning and vital group effort throughout the group will end in making certain Scenic Eclipse being totally operational and prepared for our first Antarctica voyage,” the cruise operator acknowledged on its journey alerts.
Captain James Griffiths, Scenic Group’s basic supervisor of Oceans Operations, is in Galveston overseeing the complicated work alongside Director of Discovery Operations Jason Flesher and Darko Caput, director of marine and technical operations.
Complicated Repairs May Delay Journey
The Azipod alternative is not any small job and entails the removing of the defective unit, putting in the brand new one, and an intensive testing and certification course of.
Alternative and set up of those models require heavy equipment and exact alignment, usually taking one to a few weeks.
Following set up, the propulsion unit goes via operational testing to make sure the Azipod features easily, in addition to security and efficiency testing to make sure the brand new unit can meet customary efficiency. These exams usually take one other one to 2 weeks.
Certification of an Azipod propulsion system is the ultimate process, performed by maritime regulatory our bodies, and may final from a number of days to per week relying on inspection, performance exams, and documentation evaluate associated to the set up.
In complete, a restore of this magnitude might take anyplace from two to 6 weeks. However, in Scenic Eclipse’s case, scheduling the alternative with the makers of the Azipod and the chartered cargo airplane is an try to hurry up the method.
Learn Additionally: What’s an Expedition Cruise?
Scenic Cruises apologized for “any disappointment or inconvenience this example might have prompted our valued friends,” which is directed at friends on voyages affected by the dry dock.
“The protection and luxury of all who sail on board the Discovery Yacht stays our precedence,” the assertion continued.
Scenic Eclipse was scheduled to start repositioning from the Caribbean to Argentina on a 13-night Caribbean cruise that will have departed Nassau, Bahamas, on October 24, 2024, to reach in Bridgetown, Barbados, on November 5.
She was additionally scheduled to sail a 12-night journey from Bridgetown to Rio de Janeiro from November 5 to November 16, after which make the ultimate leg of her repositioning throughout 12 nights from November 16 to November 27.
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