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A new service export line became evident in Cartagena after completing the Xpedition repair and remodelingworks a ship that belongs to the Celebrity Cruises line, which selected the city, given its proven experience on this type of works, indicated Proexport.
The work was made and led at the Cotecmar shipyard by 300 workers, with the support of professionals from Poland, Germany, Italy, Greece, United States, Ecuador and Peru.
“The service rendered by Cotecmar to this ship opens the doors for other cruise lines that travel through the Caribbean to use our shipyard to repair and maintain their ships, thus strengthening the sector to make it visible to the world, and Cartagena as the destination that offers a full supply as inbound port a city full of history and culture, and venue for incentives, congresses and conventions”, affirmed María Claudia Lacouture, Presidentof PROCOLOMBIA Colombia.
On the other hand, Bill Rammos, Associate Vice President of Celebrity Cruises, indicated that “among the options and countries we explored to do the work we required, we learned about the services that the Cartagena shipyard offers, and we made the decision based on the experience they have on the industry in Colombia and worldwide, which perfectly met our needs”.
At the Cotecmar plant in Mamonal, the Xpedition, a 90 meter long ship, was remodeled in four passenger cabins, its hull was cleaned and its paint retouched, propellers and motors were fixed, carpets were changed and general maintenance was made, for an approximate cost of US$400,000.
The process included the involvement of sectors like shipyard, metalmechanic, electric engineering, electronic engineering, and even the textile and manufacturing industry, as the ship will require input for the accommodation of its guests.
The project, which began on August 22, included the construction of an aluminum module for the ship superstructure in the Colombian shipyard.
This new business scenarios is the result of the international promotion led by PROCOLOMBIA, to attract cruise lines to allow increasing the number of tourists to Colombia, in a joint work between the Cotecmar shipyard and the Celebrity Cruise line.
Based on the figures of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, 315,304 passengers visited Colombia in 2011 through cruise lines, and in the first months of 2012, the number amounted to 147,610 persons.
“With this first project, transversal work between the tourism and export axes is strengthened, with the conclusive support of the National Government through PROCOLOMBIA, and contributes to the generation of trading opportunities in the service sector with added value, resulting on an increased economic and social impact and the positioning of Cotecmar as a world-class ship design, repair and maintenance service center”, indicated Lacouture.
