Top To Bottom Overhaul For The Crystal Harmony

Cascade General drydocked two cruise ships in the Portland Shipyard this spring, in preparation for the start of the 2000 Alaska season. After the departure of Holland America'sStatendam in April, Crystal Cruises brought the Crystal Harmony to Portland for a ten-day stopover in May. The overhaul on this ten-year old ship included maintenance and overhaul work below the waterline, extensive interior remodeling and steel replacement for the pool areas on Deck 11.

In order to maximize the amount of work that can be accomplished during the brief shipyard stay, Cascade General routinely sends advanced crews out to join cruise ships on their way to Portland. On this occasion, the first mobile crew joined the ship in Los Angeles, where work began immediately on an overhaul of one of the auxiliary boilers. A second team embarked in San Francisco to clean ballast tanks prior to structural repairs and tank preservation work.

The Neptune and Seahorse pools had been subject to a decade of constant use and needed the surrounds replaced, while the two Jacuzzis required an entirely new steel foundation. However, since the pools would be in service until the ship's arrival in Vancouver, Canada, a different strategy was needed to make the best available use of the ship's free time.

While the Crystal Harmony was still in New Orleans, a complete advanced survey was made of the pool areas, and measurements taken to enable new surroundings to be pre-fabricated in Portland. The project resumed one month later in Canadian waters, after the passengers had disembarked, when more shipyard workers arrived to begin removing the steelwork from all four pools. By the time the ship arrived in Portland, the decks around the pools were bare.

"We depend on our advanced teams to clear the way for the shipyard phase," explained Cascade General Executive Vice President and cruise ship specialist Suren Menon. "The more they can accomplish while the ship is at sea, the more effectively we can use our limited time in the shipyard."

Within hours of the Crystal Harmony's arrival, rebuilding was under way on the Lido Deck. Welders were attaching the new painted, pool surroundings, tilers were working on the walls and floors, and a dockside crane had lifted both Jacuzzis off their rusting mounts. One pool was trucked to a local specialist for fiberglass work and a new acrylic finish, while the new foundation and supports were installed.

Once the 790' (240m) ship was high and dry on Portland Shipyard's 982' (299m) Dry Dock 4, work began on all the mechanical systems below the waterline which were also due for 10-year inspection. The Sperry stabilizer fins, weighing 27 tons each, were removed to a building bay where they were completely refurbished; both the 1000 Kw Lips bow thrusters were extracted for complete dis-assembly, overhaul and testing in one of the shipyard machine shops.

Multiple paint layers were blasted away to clean the entire hull down to bare metal and a five-coat Jotun paint system applied. Access openings were cut near the keel, to gain entrance to the ballast tanks, where welding crews began replacing corroded steel in several locations. To comply with Lloyd's rules, over fifty sea valves were overhauled and inspections carried out on propellers, shafting and rudders.

In the ship's public spaces, over 125 skilled craftsmen, working for over a dozen sub-contractors, were engaged in a wide-ranging remodel. On Deck Five, this included new carpeting for the Crystal Plaza, new fittings for the Crystal Cove bar, and new marble dŽcor in all eight public bathrooms.

In the Crystal dining room, which seats 500 passengers, James P. Colie of Miami was responsible for implementing a new interior design created by English specialists SMC Design. "We began by raising the circular center ceiling, then gave the room a greater feeling of warmth with dark mahogany paneling and moldings on walls and dividers, highlighted by brass trim," explained Andrew Collier, the SMC representative.

A contrasting cream was chosen for the upper walls and ceilings. The new wall lights are handmade in Italy, as are the dining chairs, which reflect the motif of the carpeting--hibiscus flowers on a green background. Counter tops are a speckled black granite, above which hang modern art works framed in gold.

On Deck Six, the Tiffany Deck, the upgrade included improvements to the stage lighting in the Hollywood Theatre and a makeover for the ship's four boutiques, which were remodeled from floor to ceiling. A similar effort went into the luxurious penthouse cabins on Deck 10.

"It's a pleasure for me to see a ten-year old ship that's this well maintained," commented Menon. "We've done our part to make sure she maintains her six-star rating and is ready for many more years of service." The Crystal Harmony left Portland Shipyard on May 24 and arrived in Vancouver on May 25 ready to start its first Alaska run for 2000.

Related articles

Cascade General on Schedule for Cruise Ships (July 28)

Cascade General on Schedule for Cruise Ships (Sep. 22)

Cascade General on Cruise Ship Schedule (Oct. 14)

Cascade General operates Portland Shipyard, the largest and most complete ship repair and industrial facility on the West Coast of the United States. We provide full-service repairs and conversions for tankers, cruise ships, bulk carriers, container ships, government vessels, tugs, barges and workboats. Cascade General's Portland facility includes a 60-acre (24.2 ha) yard, 550,000 square feet (51,096 square meters) of craft shops, more than 7,600 ft. (2,326 meters) of full-service repair berths, and two floating dry docks.