DESSO Carpet Cruises the High Seas
27 June 2008
Passengers setting sail aboard the new luxury liner from cruise operator Royal Caribbean may be at sea but their feet will be treading the best carpet to be found on dry land. 70,000 square metres of the ship, ‘Independence of the Seas’, have been carpeted by DESSO, the market leader in floorings for ferries and cruise liners. This completes a marine carpeting hat trick for the company, which has provided the flooring for the 3 ships of the Freedom- Class vessels, world’s largest passenger ships, operated by Royal Caribbean.
DESSO designed, produced and installed 40,000 square metres of Colortec® tufted carpet for the cruise liner’s cabins and 30,000 square metres of Axminster woven carpet for the public areas, corridors and suites per ship. Meticulous planning as well as close liaising between Royal Caribbean’s many architects, legions of contractors and DESSO’s production team was crucial to meet tight installation deadlines.
The carpets combine DESSO’s trademark hardwearing quality – essential for a cruiser carrying 3,634 passengers (double occupancy) - with the competitive edge in style and design demanded by a company at the forefront of modern cruising. Activities available on the ‘Independence’ include industry firsts like rock climbing, boxing and surfing, often requiring a high degree of originality from DESSO’s design department in customising carpets to meet Royal Caribbean’s exacting requirements.
At a time when the booming cruise industry is facing calls to cut its carbon footprint, DESSO’s technical department calculated the most efficient production quantities, and the company’s installation team ensured that carpet excess and seams waste were kept to a minimum. DESSO shares the same objective as cruise industries to be ECO- effective and has recently signed an agreement to adopt the Cradle to Cradle concept.
Stef Kranendijk, CEO of DESSO, says: “The DESSO quality and the extent of our product range mean we’re able to offer a complete package for the floor covering of an entire vessel, anywhere in the world. For the ‘Independence’ – the joint largest cruise liner in the world – that represented a challenge. Meeting this challenge – on time and to budget – explains why DESSO is the first choice for many fleet owners.”
Benefiting from a history spanning nearly eight decades, and with more than twenty years at the global forefront, DESSO understands the distinctive demands of the marine markets. All of its marine products meet and exceed the toughest requirements for international markets and marine regulations.
‘Independence of the Seas’, constructed in Finland, is the third of Royal Caribbean’s ‘Freedom’ class of ships, and is the largest cruise ship ever to be home-ported in Europe. Operating out of Southampton in the UK, the ship made its debut in May 2008. At 160,000 tons, ‘Independence’ shares the title of world's largest cruise ship with sister-ships ‘Freedom of the Seas’ and ‘Liberty of the Seas’.
