Dry Dock Part 3

The following was not written by me, but it says so much I thought I would share it with everyone.

LOOK for THE PART(S) !!

To understand the title of this story keep reading ….

This small story is all about success………Success achieved through great teamwork, precise planning and above all a fantastic display of the “O” in the GOLD anchor standard, whereby each department was not only doing what their normal duties called for, but also went above and beyond in ‘willingly’ assisting co-departments and co-workers.

Recently the Jewel of the Seas skippered by Captain Tore was scheduled for a dry dock in Hamburg. She was there from the 9th - 28th Oct, in the Blohm and Voss yard in Hamburg. The main task to be carried out was the installation of the new Diesel engine along with some other refurbishments. Though more than 140 crew signed off for the dry dock period, we had welcomed three times that number in Contractors and Riding crew. To that add about a 100 dock yard employees carrying out various tasks also swelled our numbers. So how does one cater. I mean literally cater for such a diverse and big group of people? This is where our wonderful F&B team led by F&B Manager Diane Taggart came in. Executive Chef Joachim and his galley team always ensured that the food looked as great to the eyes as it was appealing to our taste buds. The menu was nothing short of “Amazing”. The Windjammer was the chosen dining area during the entire period and what a great atmosphere we had up there with everyone eating together, one big Jewel family.

The other obvious concern was how to maintain the Safety and hygiene standards onboard. We had the “Fire watch” team made up of volunteers from every department, to ensure that a random spark did not develop into a bigger flame! There were hand sanitizers installed in all the key F&B areas. But everything paid off with rich dividends; the fact is that we had “zero” accidents or illness throughout the entire dry-dock. Way to go Jewel!!

Another success story is that of the HR and crew office team, led by Amanda and Abhi. With all these extra people onboard (and the crew office team being driven out of their usual headquarters), a new location was needed to deliver the services. Again with the help of the Guest relations team, they set up their little shop at the Pursers desk. So now all the crewmembers AND the contractors had a “one point” contact to get their concerns sorted out. Even the Adventure Ocean staff and the Cruise staff assisted the HR team during these challenging times eg: Issuing and then getting back passports of all 900 plus people, signing on and off riding crew frequently during the dry dock. Oh did we tell you, the Dry dock was followed by about 250 people signing on and off the same day and followed by the 90-day all crew check right upon our arrival at Fort Lauderdale, and the ever eager anticipation of our friendly USPH inspectors..The rest, we leave it to your imagination!! (by the way the Jewel scored a whopping 99 points in USPH as I write this article).

On one hand as you have read through the great challenges we faced, you might be tempted to feel a bit sorry for us imagining that we indeed went through lot of hardships; ..yes indeed but something that is so unique to the Jewel psyche is that we don’t forget to have FUN while we earn! With the dry dock location (Hamburg) itself providing a treat to all your senses the Crew activities still added their own bit. We had a very successful event “Mr and Mrs Dry Dock” hosted by Brandon one of our cruise staff and our “voice of dry-dock”. Needless to say this event unearthed so many hidden celebrities. Our Engineering team (no words would be enough to applaud their contributions, since they were the ones who worked diligently, almost endlessly to see that the Jewel is up and running as per the schedule) along with the Bridge officers arranged crew Dry dock tours. Being under a 90 thousand plus ton vessel, otherwise a floating city, is a feeling that can’t be described. These are the few moments of truth when a man’s ability to surprise himself, gets bigger than his own achievements and he says “Did I really do this?”

We had organized a “Design a dry dock T-shirt competition” and you can spot the Jewel crew members now proudly sporting the winner’s artwork.

One little story as told to us by our Hotel Director Bjorn Erik Julseth (and the raison d’etre for this title) is when Steinar Holberg (Project Chief Engineer) and Rasmus Norling, Ship’s Superintendent, came up with a New Dry Dock Gold Anchor Standard when a few vital seals for the pod bearings went missing and they searched for them all over the ship – and eventually found them. However until they were found Steinar made a comment, It's not "looking the part” that’s important right now, but "looking for the Parts"....How true…considering the stress levels were rising when these gentlemen were looking for these VERY expensive and vital parts!

We are sure that each Jewel crew member has their own share of memories during the dry dock but finally our Lensman, our Photo manager captured the most memorable memory that can be put through a picture. This is when the ENTIRE Jewel crew assembled against the background of the Ship’s gigantic Azipods to take an all crew picture. As we were making our way down there for the picture we couldn’t help admiring our beautiful lady with her new look, our very own Lady “The Jewel of the Seas”.

-Ajit Shidhaye
T&D Manager
Jewel of the Seas.