Upcycled Old Cruise Ships & Their Uses
What happens to old cruise ships?
Have you ever wondered what happens to old cruise ships when they move beyond their prime people-ferrying years and have to be put out to pasture? Those ships are huge (an average size one has an internal volume of 120,000 gross tonnes!), so they have to go somewhere. It’s not the kind of thing you can just park at the back of the lot and forget about…
At Link Ship Chandlers, we love a good ‘reuse, reduce, recycle’ initiative, which is why we are very happy to report that while most past-prime cruise ships end up as scrap metal, some go on to live really compelling second lives! Here are a few things that cruise ships can become when they are traversing the world’s oceans:
Hotels
Essentially, most cruise ships are floating hotels, so it’s not too surprising that some of them go on to become land-based hotels. This was the case for the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary from the Cunard Line. After all, these luxurious ships feature everything from pools and cocktail bars, to multiple dining areas and small hospitals! It only makes sense that it would make a great land-based hospitality site as well.
Hospitals
Speaking of hospitals, intact cruise ships have also been known to makeshift medical centres in times of crisis. For instance, the Splendid cruise ship from the well-known MSC Group became a floating hospital for COVID-19 patients in the port of Genoa’s ferry terminal. The vessel provided an extra 400 hospital beds at a time when the country’s healthcare system was under severe pressure, and also featured a heliport that could be used to bring in healthcare professionals who were needed to take care of the growing number of patients.
Emergency Housing
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina landed on the south-eastern coast of the United States, killing 1800 people and displacing countless others. The Carnival cruise line came to the aid of these homeless hurricane victims by providing emergency housing for thousands of people in their Ecstasy and Sensation cruise ships.
Artificial Reefs
American Glory, a ship from the American Cruise Lines entourage, was sunk by the Delaware State Division of Fish and Wildlife to become an artificial reef as a part of their fisheries management effort. The aim is to provide more opportunities for divers and provide a haven for endangered fish species that are ‘structure orientated’, dush as the spadefish and triggerfish.
Now you know! Fascinating, isn’t it? Check back soon for more interesting info from the world of shipping. In the meantime, feel free to get in touch with a member of the Link Ship Chandlers team if you would like to learn more about the chandling services we provide from ports in Cape Town, Saldanha, Gqeberha, Coega, Durban and Richards Bay.
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