(With video, general arrangement and extra pictures) After several years of cruising French waters, river cruise ship Rembrandt was transported back to the Netherlands. During this trip, a fire broke out which destroyed a large part of the hotel section.
The Rempbrandt was built in 2003 at Scheepswerf Grave BV for Own Ships Support BV, Ridderkerk, the Netherlands. The fire broke out in the lobby. The cause of the fire was in the electrical shore power connection. The fire quickly spread to the lounge and restaurant. The fire was extinguished through the use of seawater, but the damage had already been done. The engine room, kitchen and wheelhouse were spared, however.
Excellence Pearl
After 1.5 years remaining idle in the Netherlands, finally, ship owner Swiss Excellence Rivercruise from Basel acquired the ship after which the conversion could begin. The 82.5 metres long and 9.5 metres wide ship was not just in need of repair after the fire, it also had to be altered in order to meet the latest maritime regulations. Rapid engineering allowed the ship to be back on the waters as the Excellence Pearl in just 5.5 months.
Read about the adjustments and the applicable regulation in SWZ Maritime's September issue (subscribers only). The photo album below contains some extra pictures of the damage and the end result (please click the pop-out link to view the pictures in their proper dimensions). The ship's general arrangement plan can be downloaded as a PDF.The video below shows the Excellence Pearl's christening ceremony.
