Life-saving solution that saves $$$ for Seabourn

A crucial piece of equipment on any cruise ship is a life jacket and just like other equipment, they need to be maintained in good working order at all times. In particular, the inflatable life jackets worn by the crew whilst working on board require annual and five yearly servicing to remain SOLAS compliant.

This servicing typically takes place on shore so added to the service cost is the logistical costs of getting the life jackets to a service provider and then back to the ship, as well as often incurring inbound and outbound taxes. These combined costs can run into thousands per ship each year.

With Seabourn’s latest generation of expedition ship, currently under construction in Mariotti, Italy, there is limited stowage capacity on board, as well as the added complexity that the ships itineraries will take them to remote destinations. Therefore, the Holland America Group team felt that inflatable lifejackets would be the best solution for both passenger emergency, crew working, and Ventures by Seabourn excursion programs.

Foam life jackets are typically supplied for passenger emergency use as they do not require any ongoing service and cost less than 20% of inflatable jackets however they are very bulky and require significant storage capacity.

The stowage of foam jackets plus the logistics and cost of compliance servicing inflatable life jackets was causing some challenges for the brand. Also, given the nature of the Ventures by Seabourn excursion programs which include activities such as zodiac beach landings, landing in ice, kayaking and sightseeing zodiac tours; additional life jackets are needed on a daily basis. An alternative solution had to be identified.

Seabourn had already identified a potential solution to use vacuum packed inflatable life jackets for passenger emergency use however it was expensive and did not address the compliance logistics and flag challenge. They approached our Strategic Sourcing team for help in identifying potential manufacturers, Jon Izzard, Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing explains how he got involved:

“We approached a number of suppliers including our preferred maker, Veleria San Giorgio, with the challenge. They then came up with an innovative solution which essentially looks like a small suitcase containing everything you need to service the life jackets on board whilst maintaining compliance. This will remove all the logistics of getting the jackets to shore for servicing, particularly when the ship is in some remote destination.

 The crew will be fully trained up and certified to manage the servicing themselves.

Taking this new and innovative approach has allowed us to source a solution that will cost $450k less per ship over 10 years than was originally expected by the brand for Seabourn’s two new expedition ships, not to mention the environmental benefits of not having to move the jackets to shore.”

 Elvio Marcuzzi, Deputy Director, Nautical Development, Professional Standards & Support for Holland America Group added:

“For several years, we had been trying to come up with a solid, safe and reliable solution that fit our unique operations. Since the beginning, together with Patrick Kilbane our Project Manager New Build, we started doing our own research to define our specific scope of work and requirements, but most importantly, to ensure we found a solution which allowed us to operate safely, protect the environment and be in compliance in all the areas we operate in the world. Working closely with the Strategic Sourcing team was extremely beneficial for our business.”  

This is a great example of working collaboratively with our brand partners and finding solutions that can then be replicated across the Corporation.