The Fred Olsen cruise liner Borealis is a familiar sight at its home port in Liverpool, where passengers at the cruise terminal embark and disembark throughout the year.
However it is now across the water at the Birkenhead Cammell Laird site for a £5.8m refit - the first time the yard has undertaken work on a cruise liner in 25 years - before returning to service later this month for a trip in search of the Northern Lights.
Currently in one of the yard's dry docks, the vessel is a hive of activity both inside and out as employees and apprentices race to complete the work on time for when the ship receives its next passengers on November 13.
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The raised position of the vessel allows repainting work to be carried out on the hull of the 237m-long vessel, which has a capacity for 1,360 guests attended to by a crew of more than 600.
There are also engine upgrades taking place, as well as polishing the giant propellers so the ship can flow through the water more easily. The programme of general maintenance also includes refurbishing the lifeboats - which, since the Titanic disaster of 1912, always have to be comfortably over capacity for the number of passengers and crew on board the ship.
Stuart Ferguson, Fred. Olsen's head of quality and resources who is overseeing the refurbishment, said the Borealis - which was built in 2000 and acquired by the Fred. Olsen company in 2020 - was upgraded roughly every two years. This was the first time they had used the Cammell Laird site.
He said: "We wanted to use local industry and being part of Liverpool cruise terminal we wanted to support the local cruise industry. It's environmentally sound to come to a dry dock that's so close, otherwise we'd have to go to one in another country. Cammell Laird is a good yard and known for delivering on time.
"The Borealis is crewed by 37 different nationalities from all over the world, but particularly from the Far East because of their strong service ethic. As Fred. Olsen appeals predominantly to a 50+ demographic, we want to provide the best experience we possibly can."
Over 150 members of the Cammell Laird workforce are looking after Borealis, along with hundreds more from Cammell Laird's supply chain.
Among those working on the refit is Mike Smith, 26, from Prescot, who is in the fourth year of one of the coveted apprenticeships run by Cammell Laird. He said: "It's varied work, from the. construction side to the maintenance side. One day you might be using a big spanner, the next it's paint jobs. Its been eye opening to see what goes on in these big ships."
The paint job on Borealis involves removing the "anti-fouling" paint below the waterline so it can be completely repainted. This special paint helps to keep the hull clear of barnacles and other marine life which like to set up home there.
Lifeboats and their davits (a small crane on board a ship for suspending or lowering a lifeboat) have been moved to the workshop for regular maintenance, in order for maximum guest and crew safety, should they ever need to be used n an emergency.
Window maintenance has also been started throughout the ship. Sea water is not kind to glass and windows, so the replacement and maintenance programme ensures guests can continue to enjoy all the views as they sail.
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