Departments

Mivan secures £8m in cruise ship re-fit projects

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 03 June 2013 03 June 2013

Mivan has started 2013 by securing a number of major cruise ship outfitting contracts totalling around £8m. This announcement comes on the back Mivan's participation at the Cruise Shipping Miami trade show in the U.S. in March.

The majority of the contracts are with current customers, Crystal Cruises, Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia.

The work aboard the Pacific Jewel for Carnival Australia starts in August of this year, however design development, procurement and manufacturing has commenced. The re-fit will take place in Sydney, Australia over a 3-week period. The key areas within Mivan's scope include a conversion of a spa to a nightclub; kids area fit-out and modifications to some of the suites. Mivan is working closely with London-based interior designer SMC Design. Mivan played a major part in the previous re-fit of the Pacific Jewel, back in 2009.

One of the larger re-fits is for client Crystal Cruises on the Crystal Serenity. This follows on from Mivan's successful re-fits on the Crystal Symphony and Serenity in previous years. VP of Marine Operations at Crystal Cruises, Greg MacGarva says, "We are delighted to be working alongside Mivan once again as part of this major refurbishment programme. Their strong offering of design development and in-house manufacture combined with very capable site supervision makes them a key player in the global outfitting market."

The largest of the contracts is with existing customer Princess Cruises on the Sun Princess. This is for the conversion from its existing layout into a new Spa, Sushi Bar & International Café The re-fit will take place in August this year in Singapore. Procurement and design development is already underway at Mivan's head office in County Antrim.

Mivan's new Southampton office in the UK continues its focus on the cruise, ferry and yacht refurbishment markets. It is currently delivering an interiors maintenance service for Carnival UK on five of its ships.

At the Cruise Shipping Miami trade show in Miami this year, Mivan also launched its 'Mivan Super Yacht Interiors' brand. Mivan is in discussion with a number of yards and yacht designers presently and will be pricing a number of these opportunities in the coming months.

In the UK, Mivan remains strong in the London prime residential, hotel and commercial office sectors. Work is continuing at 6 Bevis Marks in the City of London and Mivan is due to complete contracts at Heathrow airport this year.

Ove Johan Solem joins Carus board

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 31 May 2013 31 May 2013

To further strengthen its ferry knowledge and to gain an even clearer focus on the ferry industry, Carus has engaged a new Board member with broad experience in the industry. “At Carus' Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on the 29 April, Ove Johan Solem was appointed Non-Executive Director of the Board,” the company said in a statement.

Ove has 30 years of experience in shipping and offshore industries. He was MD of Fjord Line and Executive VP of Color Line before changing direction to bring his knowledge to the offshore industry. Most recently Ove has held senior management and board positions within the First Olsen group of companies. He holds an MBA in International Shipping.

“We are very happy to have Ove on board. He brings to Carus a wealth of experience as well as his contact network in the ferry industry”, said Anders Rundberg, Carus CEO. “Experience of international ferry operations is key to our ongoing success in the market and Ove is just the right person to help us at board level to set strategies for the future.”

“IT has become the foundation to every ferry operator’s success so the offer to join the Carus Board of Directors is both a strategic decision and a very interesting challenge that I could not resist” says Ove.

“Carus already has a firm position as the leading supplier to several innovative, high-profile ferry operators in the market and I am excited to join the company at this time. I am sure Carus will continue its development as a key supplier to the industry into the future.”

Carus is focused on the passenger shipping industry providing advanced reservations and departure control solutions that are constantly evolving to meet the ever changing operational demands of our clients.

Trimline completes work on Pullmantur’s Monarch

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 21 May 2013 21 May 2013

Monarch, the 73,941 gross ton cruise ship that was built in 1991 for Royal Caribbean International, underwent an extensive refit prior to entering service with the Spanish company this spring, with Trimline engaged to work on the construction of a new Club Lounge; removing the existing interior of the Jade Sushi bar on Deck 12, and refitting to the designs drawn up by EM Studio, the UK based turnkey service provider said in a statement.

After visiting the ship in Nassau to carry out surveys, the Trimline team returned to base to plan the refit. There were a few complex elements to work around, including an awkwardly placed funnel, which required Trimline to manufacture a back bar, working to an extremely precise set of measurements to ensure a perfect fit.

Once the planning was complete, an extensive programme of works commenced with a complete strip out of the existing fixtures, fittings, electrical and plumbing installations. The refit commenced with the installation of new bulkheads around the funnel area with new hot and cold serveries, and the back bar and front bars, with accompanying plumbing and electrical work to suit the new bars, sinks, refrigerators and lighting.

The Trimline team removed existing full width glass and steel handrails, and two large glass window panels, which were replaced with two doors to the deck. They installed a brand new “yacht” style balustrade and handrail system across the centre of the space to divide the two floor heights, and a new central feature display unit. After screeding and carpeting the area surrounding a 2.2 metre glass wall, they installed two new display bookcases at the forward end of the wall, one on each side, and fitted four full-height solid oak louvred panels.

Moving onto the main entrance to the bar, the team removed a small pantry/clearing area, refitted the deckhead, over-clad the bulkheads with planked oak panelling and solid oak trims, and installed new Amtico flooring. Once the main refit was complete, the team carried out various decorating works around the area, including painting, fitting Strataflex wallcoverings, and soft-furnishings on columns and the front bar rail. A pair of bespoke stainless steel gates were manufactured and fitted on the outside deck, creating a stunning entrance to the new and exclusive sunbathing area.

The team were highly commended for their work on this project by EM Studio, the designers of the new Club Lounge. Director Eric Mouzourides commented “I can’t thank Trimline enough for their work on this project. They completed the work to a high standard, within the timeframe required, and conducted themselves in exemplary fashion, despite working in difficult conditions, with temperature and humidity taking their toll. Very impressed!”

This project took place in Nassau, Bahamas, over a 17-day period, and was completed by a 14-strong Trimline team, managed by Tim Gallagher. Gary Oliver, MD of Trimline commented “We’re delighted with the feedback from the designers of the Club Lounge, which serves to reinforce why Trimline’s project teams are held in such high regard for the quality of their work, and also their work ethic, which sees them constantly striving to excel, no matter what conditions they have to work in. Tim and his team worked extremely hard to ensure that this refit went smoothly, and we are rightly proud to put our name to the work.”

Wallem opens offices in South Africa

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 19 May 2013 19 May 2013

Wallem has established two offices in South Africa, a key location for the maritime industry. The new offices enable the Group to meet client demand, provide a wide array of services and to provide the Group with a footprint in an important and strategic location.

Located in Durban and Cape Town, the offices provide ship agency and logistics services for all ports in South Africa. The offices will also handle client business for other markets in Africa, including Mozambique, Namibia and other destinations in southern parts of the Indian Ocean.

"Wallem continues to execute well on its strategy to provide more maritime solutions in more locations to meet client needs," said Group Managing Director Simon Doughty. "The Group recently announced a significant milestone by opening its first global hub of expertise in Singapore and the opening of our offices in South Africa illustrates our commitment to continue providing more maritime solutions to our customers in more markets."

The offices will be run by veteran maritime professionals Nils Warner, Director, and Iain Leckie, Regional Manager, who have deep experience in both the industry and the region. They have been working in the South Africa ship agency business and maritime industry for more than 30 years each, forming one of the most experienced teams in the country.

Wallem has also appointed new leadership in Malaysia and Thailand, where the Group has appointed a new CEO and Regional Logistics Manager respectively.

Afifuddin Shafiee, who is now the CEO of the Malaysia office, has been working in the supply chain management business for more than 20 years. For the last four years, he held the role of CEO for two companies and served as Country General Manager for a U.S.-based logistics company in Malaysia. In this role, he negotiated and secured multi-million dollar contracts with large multinational companies and Government Link Companies. He replaces Mr Khoo who is retiring; we thank him for his leadership over many years and wish him all the best in the future.

Johan Vermeiren has recently been appointment in a newly created role of Regional Logistics Manager. Before joining the Group he led regional and country logistics organisations most notably for GAC in Thailand. He joined Wallem Ship Agencies on May 1, where he brings more than 20 years of experience in forwarding and logistics. He is based in Bangkok, Thailand.

"Afifuddin Shafiee and Johan Vermeiren’s strong experience and leadership in the maritime industry further strengthens Wallem’s ranks and positions us well for continued success as the most diversified maritime solutions provider in the industry," said Simon Doughty.

Wallem last month announced the opening of a new office in Singapore that marked the company’s first hub of expertise in the world. Deepak Honawar was appointed Singapore Wallem Group Managing Director and heads the office. This new hub office was put into place to bring more of Wallem’s diversified maritime solutions together into one single location to benefit customers, and
reflects the company’s integrated 'Group' approach to servicing clients.

Trimline and Carnival UK agree an on board interior maintenance service for five ships

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 19 May 2013 19 May 2013

Trimline has signed an agreement with Carnival UK for five of its UK fleet, including Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, as well as P&O Cruises two largest ships, Azura and Ventura to provide interior maintenance service.

The agreement sees Trimline plan and execute works throughout the year to keep the passenger areas and cabins in exceptional condition. The works are planned and undertaken either whilst “on the run”, in service, or during day turnaround in port. Skilled Trimline personnel will be undertaking extensive on board surveys in order to complete work within the tight time frames, and with minimal disruption to service, achieved by careful planning and good communication between all parties.

Trimline also hosts an online emergency fault reporting system, which gives the ships a direct line of communication with the shore side staff, meaning that requests for maintenance can be planned in to work scopes and dealt with at the next available opportunity. Thereby keeping fault rectification times to a minimum.

Trimline managing director Gary Oliver explains, "This agreement secures an already strong relationship that Trimline has built with Carnival UK over many years of trading. We understand the demands and expectations of passengers and are looking forward to ensuring the ships are in first class condition, cruise after cruise."