Palumbo’s acquisition of a state- owned shipyard in Malta has boosted its cruise repair work
has been certified to ISO 9001. As well hitting deadlines, the time
taken over a job is crucial to shipowners. “We have capabilities and resources that allow ferry and cruise refurbishments to be performed in record time,” Mr Palumbo emphasised. Palumbo’s success is tangible here as it has slashed the average length of a shiprepair job from 16 days in 2011 to the current average of 12 days. Furthermore, the shipyard claims a satisfaction rating of 99 per cent for the projects that it undertakes and Mr Palumbo put the shipyard’s success in these areas down to the skills of its workforce: “We invest a lot in training. We select young, well trained and, above all, local people,” he said. “Italians in Italy and Maltese in Malta and we don’t care about costs. We want highly skilled people. We recoup the
www.passengership.info
costs in terms of image and safety.” This policy, he said, keeps it competitive and allows it to invest “despite the crisis.” The work that Palumbo carries out
before a ship even enters the yard also helps it finish repair jobs in good time, he said. The company ensures that the logistics – including workshops, containers, provision of spare parts and materials – and accommodation for ship personnel and contractors are all in place. Communication with the ship operators is important and the yard conducts frequent progress meetings with them and its project managers co-ordinate all elements of the project, from timetables and work standards to interactions with classification societies and other authorities.
Safety is also high on the agenda at
these meetings. “None of our clients will compromise on safety and mechanical
quality. It’s not worth cutting corners and then running into problems that will cost even more to put right,” Mr Palumbo explained. Another large selling point for shipowners is that Palumbo lets them directly choose the subcontractor they want to work with, allowing them to avoid costs that he said other shipyards usually charge for selecting the subcontractor for the operator’s vessel. The company repaired 400 ships
of various types in 2012 and had an extensive orderbook for the first half of 2013 at the time of our conversation in February. One of the notable cruise projects that Palumbo Malta Shipyard will be carrying out this year is repair work on one of MSC Cruises’ flagships. The two-week drydocking of the 140,000gt vessel, will include painting works, mechanical and hull treatment,
Passenger Ship Technology I 2nd Quarter 2013 I 37
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88