Publications
Seaward SEAFLOAT Buoys Assist in Mooring the World’s Largest
Cruise Ship
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| A close-up of one of the SEAFLOAT mooring
buoys. |
One of the private destinations for the Voyager of the Seas
(see cover story) and several other Royal Caribbean Cruise
vessels is Labadee, a secluded peninsula located on the north
coast of Hispaniola (Haiti). The facilities at Labadee include
a variety of watersport activities, such as sailing, swimming
and snorkeling, as well as refreshment bars, artisan markets
and picnic facilities.
Since there are no dockside facilities at Labadee suitable
for berthing the Voyager of the Seas,
Royal Caribbean moors the vessel
in Labadee Bay and uses tender boats to ferry the passengers
ashore. The company tasked Coastal Systems
International, Inc. of Coral Gables, Florida, to design
a stern mooring system for the Voyager
of the Seas and other cruise vessels calling on Labadee.
Bill Mueller served as Royal Caribbean’s project manager
for the Haiti project.
Coastal Systems designed a mooring
using 3.5 inch (89mm) stud-link riser chain connected to smaller
ground chains with multiple 30,000 pound (13.6 tons) Danforth/LWT
anchors. Cortney Co. of New Orleans, Louisiana, supplied the
anchors and chain for the project. (Cortney company also serves
as Seaward’s sales representative in New Orleans.) A
Seaward SEAFLOAT mooring buoy of approximately 68,000 pounds
(31 tons) net buoyancy was used to support the riser chain
and take mooring loads.
Royal Caribbean planned to use the stern mooring system in
conjunction with the vessel’s thrusters to maintain
the vessel’s position. However, they found that operation
of the thrusters sometimes affected the visibility for snorkeling,
a key activity of the cruise ship passengers. As a result,
Royal Caribbean decided to install a second mooring system
for the bow of the vessel so that the thrusters would not
be so frequently required. The bow mooring system, virtually
identical to the stern mooring, again used a Seward SEAFLOAT
buoy.
Each of the SEAFLOAT mooring buoys measures 13.5 feet (4.11m)
in diameter and weighs about 15,000 pounds (7 tons). The buoys
incorporate a non-skid upper surface as well as a ladder for
personal access. Like other Seaward International products,
the buoys are tough, resilient and designed for a long life
in the marine environment.
Coastal Systems International, Inc.
was also responsible for installing the SEAFLOAT buoys. According
to Keith Simpson, Director of Construction at Coastal
Systems International, “The SEAFLOAT buoys were
easy to install and have worked very well for our client.
Labadee is a very popular destination for Royal Caribbean’s
customers, and we are glad to have been able to play a part
in making it successful.”We at Seaward International
are also glad to have been able to play a role.
From the Spring 2001 Issue:
Looking Seaward: Seaward SEAFLOAT Buoys Assist in Mooring
World's Largest Cruise Ship
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