Metamorphosis - Cruise Ship Portal

Insight > Shipbuilding, maintenance & repair
When Peter Fetten joined
Carnival Corporation as senior
vice president of refits, this
newly created role was the latest step in
his already impressive career. With 30
years’ maritime experience, he has held a
similar role at RCCL and positions with
Blohm + Voss Shipyard, Barthels & Luders
and his own consulting firm.
Having joined Carnival last year, Fetten
sees himself as head of a service utility for
the world’s biggest cruise operator,
mediating between brands and instituting
best practices across the company. When
asked which of these aspects is more
important, he replies, “Both”.
64
For example, as a mediator in a sale,
Fetten says he might arbitrate between
the seller and buyer on what is a
reasonable cost and length of time for a
ship to migrate from one brand to another,
although this is not always plain sailing.
“Sometimes we criticise, sometimes we
are being criticised,” he notes with a
laugh. “My function is related to support.
We help individual lines with whatever
The right
“
fit
World Cruise Industry Review | www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
demands they have. Our function is
going from the idea to the execution.”
The degree of change could be
from what he calls “revitalisation”
or “enhancing what is already there”
to a major structural conversion, such
Historically, a ship was modernised after 25
years, now it’s every ten years.
”
as lengthening a ship, adding a
superstructure or moving decks around.
Fetten’s main team comprises six
architects, designers and technicians. He
Orla O’Sullivan talks to Peter Fetten,
SVP of refi ts of Carnival Corporation,
about the challenge of refi tting ships
that meet market expectations and
changing demographic trends.