Products & services

Bolidt antimicrobial decking clears way for cruise industry return

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 15 July 2020 15 July 2020

Synthetic applications specialist Bolidt is launching an antibacterial flooring system to improve hygiene on passenger ships and help to ensure a smooth return to action for the cruise industry.

With cruise owners striving to improve hygiene on board their vessels, leading ship decking specialist Bolidt has a solution at hand that could make a significant contribution. The Netherlands-based company has developed an antimicrobial flooring that will limit the spread of multiresistant bacteria on ships and support the safe and successful return of the cruise industry.

Originally designed for use in land-based applications such as hospitals and kitchens, the pioneering technology is not only bactericidal but also hygienic and easy to clean. Jacco van Overbeek, director of Bolidt’s Maritime Division, explains how the current global health crisis led to the solution being considered for cruise vessels.

“Our antimicrobial floor cover has consistently demonstrated its value on land in the healthcare sector,” he says. “We had never considered it for marine applications simply because it didn’t seem necessary. Now the pandemic has heightened awareness on cruise ship hygiene, and we have a product ready to go that could be of great help to cruise lines.”

The material is applied as a coating to the Bolideck 525 decking used for indoor spaces on passenger ships. Durable, low maintenance and highly adaptable, the 525 system is already an ideal choice for post-pandemic times, says Van Overbeek. Crucially, it can be designed to incorporate safety messaging, which may take the form of static or dynamic signs, such as social-distancing markers or lights indicating the direction in which guests should queue during embarkation. When combined with the hygienic cover, it can minimise the transmission of viruses in addition to bacteria.

Cruise operators and interior designers have already expressed great interest in the antibacterial decking, with Georg Piantino – senior architect at YSA Design, a Bolidt partner – proposing its application as part of a ‘Hybrid Flooring’ concept. Conceived during discussions between YSA and Bolidt, the hybrid floor comprises a layer of carpet fitted on top of the Bolideck 525 system with antimicrobial coating. In the event of a future outbreak, the carpet would be stripped away to reveal the safety markers underneath, also activating the solution’s hygienic and bactericidal properties.

“Certain spaces on board a cruise vessel require plush carpeting to create that luxurious feel, but passenger ships will have to be flexible when they set sail again,” states Piantino. “With the hygiene of Bolidt’s antimicrobial technology, social distance signage and the elegance of a fine carpet, Hybrid Flooring is the perfect example of how vessels can adapt to changing requirements. It will allow a luxury suite to be transformed into a medical area, for instance, in a short space of time and with minimal disruption.”

Innovations like Hybrid Flooring and the antibacterial covering on which it is based exemplify Bolidt’s role as an enabler to passenger ship interior designers. The company’s flexible, sustainable products have become popular with owners of regular cruises, river cruises and expedition ships. “We are committed to supporting operators through these challenging times,” says Van Overbeek. “At our recently opened Innovation Center, we are researching flooring that helps to reduce viral spread not just through safety messaging but thanks to its truly virucidal characteristics.”

Fourth TDoS webinar charted way ahead with operations and technology in focus

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 30 June 2020 30 June 2020

The cruise industry is changing its course and in its fourth Tillberg Design of Sweden (TDoS) webinar panelists discussed both technological and operational aspects needed to chart the way ahead.

This was the last webinar before the summer holiday.

Together with host Fredrik Johansson, TDoS and co-host Per Eriksson, TDoS, the panelists shared their thoughts and ideas regarding hospitality post Covid-19.

The questions asked included how can the cruise experience from a guest point of view be improved after a pandemic? What changes can be foreseen in the logistics onboard cruise ships and do we foresee an increased automation as a means to reduce cost were some question raised.

Edie Rodriguez, Member of the Board of Directors of RAND Corporation and a former travel industry executive, mentioned that modern persons of today will accept the new rules of engagement. Technology is not the complete answer to everything happening around us, interaction between people will need and want to emerge from this new world. Smile might be a luxury if everyone is wearing a mask.

Julian Hughes, V Ships Leisure, Head of Ship management - Saga Fleet cell, mentioned in his ideas for the future that technical innovation will have to expand especially with some sort of air purity system.

Hannes Lindthaler, Founder & CEO of MarineXchange. MXP offers a complete suite of cruise and marine specific software solutions to optimise business processes and revenues across the entire organisation, estimated the ships’ programming will have to be adapted to planning and technology.

Any food outlet or public space onboard will have to expand the hours by opening earlier and close later in order to deal with the current requirement of social distancing. The challenge is to make people spread out through the whole ship.

Next TDoS webinar to discuss Safety on All Levels

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 24 June 2020 24 June 2020

Tillberg Design of Sweden (TDoS) will continue its series of webinars on Thursday, 25 June, this time with the theme Behind the Scenes – Safety on All Levels.

The panelists will be Hannes Lindthaler, CEO of MarineXchange; Julian Hughes from V.Ships and the cruise and hospitality consultant Edie Rodriguez.

The event will start at 3.00 PM CET.

New netTALK MARITIME Health Monitoring System Intercept and contain health problems at the source immediately

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 29 June 2020 29 June 2020

In a world filled with viruses that can ruin a cruise vacation for thousands of guests or even put a ship out of commission, the new netTALK MARITIME Integrated Passenger and Crew Communications Experience gives cruise lines the ability to identify a sick passenger early and quarantine him or her immediately. This makes the ship safer for all onboard and provides much needed reassurance to the cruising public who are currently reluctant to set sail again.

The netTALK MARITIME system has seamlessly joined with the Tritan Software SeaCare platform, allowing frequent, critical, real-time health information to be sent electronically to the ship’s medical team without any initial physical interaction required. The SeaCare platform complies with all governmental requirements and can receive, process, monitor, protect, and manage the required health data of each person onboard (guests and crew). All of this is provided through the ongoing contactless health-check methods gathered and made available securely through netTALK MARITIME.

The screening process includes noninvasive pulse reading and rhythm, respiration rate and rhythm, fever detection (coming soon), Sp02 oxygen saturation (coming soon), and a chat-bot questionnaire based on current triage protocols used by hospitals. A photo is taken at time of measurement to ensure identity.

With this interactive method, symptoms are quickly caught, allowing the sick person to be quarantined immediately. The chance of broad contamination is instantly minimized. The medical staff is alerted to any potential health problem, allowing them to make an assessment, a diagnosis, and a recommendation for care.

Screenings can be custom configured by guest or crew location in real-time, by certain time intervals, or simply self-reporting at their leisure before leaving their cabin - not just at embarkation and debarkation. Guests are also quickly checked when entering public areas of the ship to prevent contamination of large gatherings. Crew members are screened at key points, such as before entering guest cabins, before manning workstations, and at other scheduled times to verify they are healthy and able to work around other crew and guests.

For sick passengers required to quarantine, virtual checkups continue directly from their cabins. Using the passenger’s mobile phone and the cruise line’s own app embedded with the netTALK MARITIME system, the medical team can communicate with patients via voice, video, walkie- talkie, and chat features, and can also facilitate shore-side doctors to speak directly with patients. Some vital-sign diagnostics can even be checked via the mobile phone’s camera, further minimizing any personal contact with infected passengers.

To protect others onboard, once a sick person is identified, contact tracing can be enabled to locate, test, and potentially quarantine people at risk of infection due to their previous proximity to a known infected person. Contact tracing also identifies locations onboard where an infected person spent time so those areas can receive extra sanitization.

"This solution helps in a lot of ways, so cruise lines will be able to monitor, do contact tracing and minimize visits to the medical center since people can chat or have a video consultation with a doctor," said Roger Blum of Cruise & Port Advisors, which represents netTALK Maritime to the cruise industry. "This could also allow virtual consultations for people who have non-COVID issues, such as a cut, reducing their potential exposure at a medical center waiting room."

Before the cruise industry can return to previous operations and capacity levels, health concerns must be addressed. The cruising public must feel confident and reassured before they risk their vacation time, money, and health on a cruise, and the netTALK MARITIME Health Services solution makes that level of confidence achievable.

Third TDoS webinar due 18 June with "Collaboration - not Competition" as theme

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 16 June 2020 16 June 2020

Tillberg Design of Sweden (TDoS), the interior design company, will hold its third webinar on 18 June at 3.00 CET.

This time, the theme will be “Collaboration – not Competition.”

“In times like these, we feel being together in an insecure world is better than “keeping the distance,” the company said.

The panelists at the webinar will be Lionel Ohayon, founder and CEO of iCRAVE, Greg Walton, Partner and CEO of DADO; Chris Finch who is the founder and CEO of AD Associates and Fredrik Johansson, Partner and Executive Director at TDoS.

Madelene Hall, deputy CEO of TDoS and the company’s Business Director Per Eriksson will host the event.