Dry Dock Question

[Carnival AZIPOD]

How often are cruise ships drydocked?

 

Do the cruiselines do their own maintenance or is the work farmed out?

How long does a dry dock session take?

[RickEk]

How often are cruise ships drydocked?

 

Do the cruiselines do their own maintenance or is the work farmed out?

How long does a dry dock session take?

 

Cruise ships are drydocked every couple of years. They might also have a scheduled wetdock in between drydocking.

 

And the work is performed by the line and port workers. The cruise line will plan what is to happen during the dry/wetdock and will, of course, have their personnel onboard to oversee the work. The crew will also be involved depending on what is to be done. And others will be hired on an as-needed basis.

[Keith1010]

The drydock is every couple of years. Some years the focus is mainnly on the maintenance of the ship while other years it is both maintenance (eg., engines, etc.) along with various interior modifications and replacements of worn items. The length of the drydock will also vary depending on what is being done.

 

Many outside vendors are brought on for the dry dock but the crew will assist them. For example if a room is being reconfigured the crew would likely move all of the furniture, put plastic down, etc and also assist with meals and other things.

 

Keith

[Sea Hag]

Sometime ago my DH and I watched a show on tv about the drydocking on one of the RCC ships. I think it was on the Travel Channel, and that channel reruns things all the time. Don't remember the title of it, but if any of you see it listed, you might want to watch it. Very, very interesting!

[tnt091605]

As far as the length of time, think of it as remodeling a house. The extent of the remodel is what will determine how long it is dry docked. But they have a lot of work going on at one time. Think of how much each week a ship is in dry dock cost the cruise line.

[RickEk]

Sometime ago my DH and I watched a show on tv about the drydocking on one of the RCC ships. I think it was on the Travel Channel, and that channel reruns things all the time. Don't remember the title of it, but if any of you see it listed, you might want to watch it. Very, very interesting!

 

That was a show about Sovereign of the Seas. It was produced in 2004. She's since been transferred to Pullmantur as the Sovereign.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

About a month before dry dock supplies start to arrive and random contractors. The second the last passenger gets off the ship things kick into gear and normally finish a second before the first passenger boards the ship!

 

That tv show about Sovereign Of The Seas's drydock is FANTASTIC.

[Carnival AZIPOD]

That was a show about Sovereign of the Seas. It was produced in 2004. She's since been transferred to Pullmantur as the Sovereign.

 

I found the video on you-tube.

It was very fascinating.

Thanks!!!

[Carnival AZIPOD]

About a month before dry dock supplies start to arrive and random contractors. The second the last passenger gets off the ship things kick into gear and normally finish a second before the first passenger boards the ship!

 

That tv show about Sovereign Of The Seas's drydock is FANTASTIC.

 

Does the ship's crew and contractors stay on the ship while it is dry docked?

Do the ship's crew have special duties while the ship is being serviced?

[Capt_BJ]

As I recall the technical requirement for a vessel taking pass' from a US port is two underwater hull inspections by drydocking in the past 5 years. The 5 years is a sliding window. Basically all underwater openings in the hull must be inspected from the outside with the ship dry; all these openings have valves associated and those valves are inspected and rebuilt/replaced as necessary. With this as the driving factor the company will then tack onto that time out of the water all the maintenance they can like replacing "zinc"s, inspecting bow/stern thrustors, shafts, rudders & props, or PODS depending on construction; cleaning and painting the bottom. Being high and dry is $$$ so as much work as possible is accomplished as quickly as possible, double shifts are common and round the clock work not unheard of. Much work is originally contracted as "open and inspect" with additional work added if the inspection finds a problem. Sometimes the line knows it is time for a replacement, like a shaft seal or bearing for example. So that part will have been staged at the yard to be replaced as quickly as possible. You try to head off having something down there fail because an unscheduled drydocking costs many times more than a planned one.....

 

In addition to having been the Captain of a vessel in drydock over the years, my last office window looked out over the drydocks of BAE Systems / Norfolk Ship Repair in VA. Among the ships that routinely dry docked there were Magic and Wonder ...

[Sandytoes]

How long does a dry dock session take?

All depends on what work or updates are being done on a ship.

After the ship comes out of dry-dock, 90% or more of the time the ship is not fully completed.

They have workers on board finishing up the final touches.

 

I don't recommend taking a cruise right after a dry dock.

Wait several sailings.

[cathyz]

Does the ship's crew and contractors stay on the ship while it is dry docked?

Do the ship's crew have special duties while the ship is being serviced?

Yes, most of the crew will stay on board and do many miscellaneous things assisting the contractors (laying carpets, replacing furniture, etc, etc, etc)