Estonia, Tallinn, August 2014 – Bridgemans of Vancouver, BC announces that it has completed engineering and architectural plans that enable the company to immediately begin a major refit and conversion of Europa, a 650-foot 14-deck former Baltic Sea cruise ferry the company recently acquired, into a luxurious full-service Floatel accommodation vessel that can be quickly deployed to accommodate industrial workforces in any region of the world.
The concentrated refit and conversion process will take place at dry dock facilities in Estonia and Finland and will require 800 workers and 200,000 man-hours to complete at an estimated cost of 33 million Euros ($46M Can). Once completed, the ship will feature 1400 single-guest rooms with private ensuite washrooms, a 550-seat dining room, a lunch room, four lounges, meeting rooms, an internet lounge, first aid room, exercise facilities, theatre, laundry room and accommodations for 220 crew members. “Europa will be the most luxuriously appointed industrial accommodations vessel in the world,” says Brian Grange, president of Bridgemans. “Our strategy is to differentiate our Floatels as strictly first-class accommodations vessels that will not only ensure that workers are securely and comfortable housed, but will ultimately serve to assist our clients in retaining a critical mass of skilled workers they need to be successful in their operations.”
Last December Bridgemans acquired the 550-foot Silja Festival, which subsequently underwent a $3-million conversion into a 700-room “floatel” that features the amenities, services and atmosphere of a modern cruise ship.
The ship features 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. It is currently in service accommodating 450 workers in Kitimat, BC who are completing the modernization of a large Rio Tinto Alcan aluminum smelter. Bridgemans also recently acquired Spirit of the Nation, a 300-foot former BC ferry, and a 165-foot barge upon which it is constructing a 400-person floatel using pre-assembled modular components.
Once the refit of Europa is complete, it will be re-commissioned as Bridgemans Europa. Final conversion and restoration work is scheduled to be completed by late September.