Lloyd Werft first repaired the 6,471gt expedition cruise ship last April. ‘Lindblad is only a small shipping company, but it’s a good address when it comes to cruise shipping and I am very pleased indeed that we can follow up on the success of last year,’ says yard chairman Rüdiger Pallentin.
National Geographic Explorer will kick-off the yard’s cruise ship ‘wet docking’ season in the Kaiserhafen from April 14 to May 2 where the ship will undergo extensive repair and installation work while berthed alongside.
Topping the latest work docket for yard project engineer Carl Ratjen, who was also responsible for the National Geographic Explorer repairs carried out in 2013, is the replacement of air conditioning units and the renewal of some associated pipe work. The work also includes the extensive installation of cold water equipment (chillers) in the air conditioning plant. Additional work includes the design, pre-manufacture and installation of a further boiler room, steelworks in both port and starboard ballast tanks and the elimination of cracks in the superstructures.
National Geographic Explorer will resume scheduled service after her re-delivery by Lloyd Werft on May 4. Lindblad Expeditions bought the ship in 2007 as Midnatsol from Norwegian coastal ferry operator Hurtigruten. Built in Norway in 1982, she was then converted into a cruise ship with 81 cabins for 148 passengers and a crew of 84.
