A company is turning former cruise ships into floating
hotels — see inside its largest 'floatel'
Brittany Chang
Wed, April 17, 2024 at 5:24 PM
- Bridgemans
ServicesGroup operates a fleet of former cruise ships turned into hotels.
- Its
"floatels" are designed to house workers during long-term
projects.
- See
its largest 652-cabin floatel with a game room and buffet.
Some old and unwanted cruise ships meet their demise
at ship-breaking
yards, where they are disassembled and sold for
scrap.
Other vessels find a more fortunate fate, receiving a
second chance to do what they already do best: serve as floating hotels.
Canada-based Bridgemans Services Group buys and
charters former cruise ships to turn into "floatels," outfitted with
standard cruise amenities like daily housekeeping, buffets, and relaxing
lounges.
But the ships aren't designed to transport tourists
from one destination to another anymore. Instead, companies turn to Bridgeman
when they need to house workers for a long-term project, whether it be the
construction of an offshore wind farm in Europe or the shooting of a major film
in a remote destination.
Floatels can accommodate workers in remote destinations where hotels might not be an option.
The company also charters vessels long-term.Bridgemans
Services Group
In more metropolitan areas, Bridgemans says its ships
could lessen the stress an inundation of workers might have on the local
housing market.
And once they are no longer needed, the vessels depart
and "leave no trace behind," the company said.
Over the last decade, Bridgemans has deployed its
ships for 15 projects on every continent, Brian Grange, the company's
president, told Business Insider.
Grange said that its deployments — most often for
liquified natural gas companies — last for an average of two years.
In the past, it has also provided accommodations
for MSC Cruises at its Ocean Cay
private island and housing for more
than 1,000 workers in the Philippines' on a project for the Manila
International Airport during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company's three ships range from 150 to 652
cabins.
Isabelle X is docked at the construction site,
allowing workers to walk to work. Bridgemans Services Group
The floatel operator acquired its largest ship, the
561-foot-long MV Isabelle X, in 2023.
In its past life, the 35-year-old vessel sailed around the Baltic Sea as one of
Estonia-based Tallink Gruipp's cruise ships.
But gone are its days of leisurely cruising. The
35,000 gross-ton ship is now on its first deployment in Howe Sound, just north
of Vancouver, where it's housing more than 600 workers who are building
Woodfibre LNG's "net zero" LNG export facility.
Isabelle X underwent a six-month retrofit before it
was sent to Howe Sound.
MV Isabelle X's dining room before (left) and after
(right) its refit.Bridgemans Service Group
The process included updating the ship's cabins and
adding amenities like a game room and an 8,000-square-foot gym.
The latter two are especially important: "We need
to make sure we delineate between work and home," Grange told BI. "We
have to create a social environment on board these vessels that makes it
attractive for workforces around the world."
During their free time, workers can play billiards, relax in the outdoor lounge, or use the ship’s WiFi to catch up on social media.The ship has several scenic lounges and a "game" lounge.Bridgemans Services Group
The sports lounge has large television screens, while
the games lounge has darts, ping pong tables, and air hockey.
The 'quiet lounges' are the go-to space for people who
need to unwind after a long work day.
The Isabelle X has also been upgraded with
eco-friendly measures like the ability to run on shore power at the port, which
is widely considered more environmentally friendly than relying on fuel and
engines. Bridgemans Services Group
Or, they could recharge and catch up on the latest
shows in their cabins, which all come with desks, storage, and 32-inch
televisions.
Like a typical cruise ship, Bridgemans' vessels have
buffets with live cooking stations, a dessert bar, and the occasional themed
night.
Isabelle X can house 70 Bridgemans' crew, including
cooks, housekeeping, and safety systems operators.Bridgemans Service Group
The ships' chefs tailor their menus to the demographic
and dietary restrictions of the workers on board, the company's president told
BI.
Residents can expect at least four protein options,
plenty of veggies, and handmade bread and desserts.
Unlike most cruise lines, Bridgemans can pre-purchase
all the food it needs before deployment.
Isabelle X's interior spans 450,000 square feet
including spaces like a "VIP dining room."Bridgemans Services Group
Grange says this allows the ships to maintain food
quality and consistency in remote locations.
Remember that deployment in the Philippines during
COVID-19? He said the ship had packed almost 800 tons of food ahead of the
project.
He wouldn’t disclose the cost to rent one of
Bridgemans’ floatels.
Bridgemans charges a premium for deployments in remote
destinations.Bridgemans Services Group
But he did note that the cost of a cabin on
the Woodfibre LNG project in Howe Sound is comparable to a hotel room
in nearby Vancouver, as is the case with most of its projects near major
cities.
The company’s most recent acquisition, the 150-cabin
Diamond XI, is currently being retrofitted and would be ready for deployment
this year.
Diamond XI is being refitted in Europe.Bridgemans
Services Group
According to the company's president, the vessel is
small and high-end, likely to be used for sporting events and movie shoots.
It could also be the start of a greater expansion: He
hopes to add two or three more vessels to its fleet in the next five years.
"The world has opened up to this as a valued
alternative to housing," Grange told BI.
The company currently has 2,300 beds on the water,
Brian Grange, president of Bridgemans Services Group, told Business
Insider.Bridgemans Services Group
Who knows, the next time you see a cruise ship off the
coast, there's a slim but possible chance it could be housing workers — not
vacationers.