Sponsored By

Grand Bahama Shipyard outlines growth vision

Grand Bahama Shipyard is working to narrow the competence gap to become closer to best-in-class repair facilities like Lloyd Werft and Blohm+Voss, according to Peter Fetten, svp corporate ship refits for Carnival Corp. & plc.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

September 23, 2010

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Fetten wants the yard to take a bigger and bigger role in outfitting and project management.

That’s a vision shared by GBS chairman and ceo Carl-Gustaf ‘Calle’ Rotkirch and his team, as detailed in the cover story of September’s Seatrade Cruise Review.

With its close proximity to the world’s busiest cruise lanes, GBS has the edge on location, but the deepwater facility with its trio of floating docks aspires to be much more than just the most convenient passenger ship repair yard.

GBS started by contracting only 10% to 15% of a docking, with the bulk handled by cruise line in-house teams, but has advanced to a 20% to 25% share, Fetten said.

Lloyd Werft and Blohm+Voss typically provide a 40% to 50% chunk—the goal for GBS, according to both Fetten and Kevin Douglas, vp technical projects-newbuilds for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and a GBS board member.

Fetten said there are ‘a lot of projects in the pipeline’ for GBS starting as early as 2011 where the yard plays a far greater role than before.

Cruise work will comprise about half of this year’s expected revenue of $80m to $90m, and is forecast to rise to 60% in 2011. A steady $90m to $100m in overall revenue is targeted annually going forward.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

The latest cruise news, analysis and more straight to your inbox
Get the free newsletter read by industry experts

You May Also Like