ENIGMA TSR143.pdf - atlantic refit center

Recommendations

Info

conversion report | Enigma XKAntarctica in the south. Loyer hadbeen part of the relief crew engagedto bring back Le Ponant after thethree-masted cruise ship was seized bySomali pirates in 2008. It was duringthis voyage that he met Orio. Orio hadnavigated the globe as a staff captainon boutique cruise ships and was anideal choice for commanding a yachtconceived for charter cruising off thebeaten track. The rest of the crew,which will eventually be 21-strong, wasrecruited from his seagoing friendsand colleagues, including a securityprofessional, a motorbike stuntmanand a surf life-saving champion.ARC’s next challenge was to tailora team around the conversionproject in hand. He turned to fellowFrenchman Philippe Briand, nowbased in London but originally fromLa Rochelle, for the exterior design,while Veerle Battiau (Mrs Briand,affectionately know as ‘Cookie’) ofthe Vitruvius motoryacht divisiontook over the interior design. Theremainder of the project team wasdrawn locally from the region’sworkforce of skilled shipbuilders.With build crew, designers, engineers,suppliers, outfitters and othertradesmen in place, a weather-proofdome – delightfully called a chrysalidein French – was erected over Nornain the dry dock and they got down todirtying their hands.“The biggest obstacle on a conversionproject like this is that the older theship, the more the regulations havechanged,” Captain Orio points out.“This is even more pronounced ona military vessel like Norna as whenshe was built they were thinking moreabout the safety of the ship than thepeople on board.” A case in point wasthe lack of an emergency generator.This was not an issue in her formerrole given the multiple redundancyof the ship’s systems, but it is requiredfor LY2 equivalence under her Frenchflag registry (the 90kW emergencygenset is now housed in its own soundproofedcasing behind the captain’scabin on the bridge deck).need for AC in the sub-Arctic conditionsof the North Sea. This meant that theageing Gardner main generators hadto be replaced with more modernand powerful 600kW MTUs, which inturn required cutting a soft patch intothe side of the hull. In keeping withthe yacht’s heavy-duty specifications,the HVAC system was supplied bya commercial contractor moreaccustomed to fitting out cold storagesystems for tuna purse seiners thanproviding chilled air for superyachts.Another issue was the absence ofa sprinkler system, which had tobe installed, and the old-style firedetectors, which had to be replaced.The original fire-detection system hadup to five sensors connected in loops,so each detector had to be visuallychecked to find out where the fire was– not a problem when the only peopleon board are professional seamen,“The owner bought thevessel for her seaworthyhull and because he likedthe ship’s look.”Iltud Orio, captain & owner’srepresentativeenigma xk’s general arrangementTalking of electricity generation andconsumption, as a patrol vessel Nornahad few of the hotel power demandsof a superyacht and, in particular, no32 THE SUPERYACHT REPORT | ISSUE 143 THE SUPERYACHT REPORT | ISSUE 143 33
conversion report | Enigma XKbut not ideal for a yacht full of charterguests. Similarly, the watertightcompartments were manuallyoperated with no monitoring systemon the bridge. On Enigma XK they arestill manual (as opposed to remotelyoperated), but Lloyd’s agreed to anexemption as long as a bridge alarmsystem was installed indicating when awatertight door is left open for morethan 30 seconds.Most of the navigation equipment onthe bridge was perfectly serviceableand left untouched, although theold console and décor have beenripped out and refreshed. The bridgewindows are also original, along withtheir attractive brass frames. There areno wing stations as such; instead thehelmsman simply rests his arm on thewindowsill navy style to look fore andaft the length of the hull.“The owner bought the vessel for herseaworthy hull and because he likedthe ship’s look,” explains CaptainOrio. “This presented other technicaldifficulties in that he wanted to keepas much of the original superstructureas possible, especially the funnels.”With regard to the funnels, PhilippeBriand came up with an ingenioussolution. In profile they appearAtlantic Refit CenterSet up by Stéphane Marcelli and Chris Atkinson in 2007, the Atlantic Refit Center (ARC) in La Rochelle was chosen by the owner for theconversion of Norna after he read about their previous refit projects on the company’s website, including 71m Skat. As he bought Nornafrom a broker in Germany, the owner was under some pressure to go to a north European shipyard, but a brief visit to La Rochelle convincedhim that ARC had the flexibility and know-how to provide the team of consultants and shipbuilders required to complete the conversion at areasonable cost. Nonetheless, the project has been ARC’s most complex and challenging commission to date.“It’s been a big learning curve,” confirms Atkinson, “much more complex than a new build, because you’re never sure what you’regetting into. The extent of the modifications required is only revealed as the work progresses, so the change orders come thick and fast,which at some shipyards could kill a project like this.”Marcelli accompanied the owner aboard the vessel when she was transferred from Cruxhaven to La Rochelle and was instrumental increating a crew for the new yacht that could also follow the conversion process. “To further reduce costs and to keep themselves busy,the crew asked us if they could help out with some of the work, which we agreed to,” he comments. “Again, because we have a smallinfrastructure we can be more flexible in our project management and tailor the workforce around the owner’s needs.”La Rochelle has a naval heritage dating back to the 17th century and beyond. During the Second World War it was a vital submarine basefor the German Navy and the reinforced concrete U-Boat pens are still standing. Then, as now, La Rochelle was the only deep-water harbouron the French Atlantic coast that provided 24-hour access regardless of weather and tide. With the decline in shipbuilding, the port authorityis turning its attention to the refit industry and ARC is looking to benefit from this new focus. La Rochelle is the most convenient port of callfor yachts returning to Europe from the Caribbean and with its two dry docks of 176m and 107m (the only restriction is the maximum 22mwidth), it is one of very few facilities between Pendennis in the UK and La Ciotat on the French Riviera that can take megayachts of 100m ormore.“We think the refit and conversion market is going to grow and we’re ideally placed to attract some of that business, especially forthe bigger yachts,” says Atkinson. With this in mind, plans are afoot to erect a permanent, extendable cover over the larger of the twodry docks. “There is a will now from the port authority to push the refit sector, not just financially but also in terms of developing a viablestrategy,” Atkinson continues. “The Norna conversion, which we’re hoping will be at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show, is proof of what we’recapable of and I think the owner will take delivery of an excellent product.”34 THE SUPERYACHT REPORT | ISSUE 143
Page 1 and 2: SuperyachtTheISSUE 143May 2013T R U
Page 3: conversion report | Enigma XK“He
Page 7 and 8: conversion report | Enigma XKTo cir

ENIGMA TSR143.pdf - atlantic refit center

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?