Vancouver, BC, Canada, December 2013 – Bridgemans of Vancouver, BC is pleased to announce that it has acquired a 171-metre (555-foot) Baltic Sea cruise ferry that it plans to convert into a luxurious full-service accommodations vessel that can be quickly deployed to accommodate industrial workforces in any region of the world.
Negotiations to acquire The Silja Festival from Tallink Group, an Estonian-based ferry operator, were recently completed after a team of experts from Bridgemans undertook inspections of a number of large vessels in the USA, Mexico, England, Finland and Estonia.
The 11-deck ship, which was commissioned in 1986 and refitted in 1992, will depart Tallinn, Estonia on January 28 for Panama, where it will undergo the initial phase of a $3M conversion into a 700-room “floatel” that will feature the amenities, services and atmosphere of a modern cruise ship. The ship will then depart for Vancouver where a second phase of work will complete the conversion.
Once completed, the ship will feature 600 single-guest rooms with private ensuites, a 378-seat dining room, a lunch room, three lounges, meeting rooms, dry room, first aid room, exercise facilities, theatre, laundry and accommodations for 100 crew members.
“We are extremely pleased with the acquisition of The Silja Festival,” says Brian Grange, President of Bridgemans. “It has everything we need to create a truly unique living environment for workers whose services are essential to resource development companies around the world.”
Once the refit is complete, the ship will be re-commissioned as Bridgemans Festival. Final conversion and restoration work is scheduled to be completed by mid-March of 2014.