Paljassaare Harbour, Tallinn · Contract value ~€250,000
| Client | Tallink Grupp AS |
| Vessel | M/S Romantika, ro-pax ferry (IMO 9237589) |
| Location | Paljassaare Harbour, Tallinn |
| Scope | Total exterior restoration: hull, superstructure, funnel, windows |
| Contract value | ~€250,000 |
| Status | Completed, vessel returned to service |
The challenge
Tallink needed Romantika’s entire exterior restored: both hull sides, the forward superstructure, the stern, the funnel, and 348 windows. The vessel supposed to be back in operation as soon as the work was done, so the schedule was tight from day one. On top of that, the previous charterer’s branding had to come off the hull and funnel completely. Every surface we repainted had to fully cover the old livery before fresh colours went on, no shortcuts.
Halfway through the window work we found the frames were in worse shape than the original scope assumed. That happens on a vessel this age. It’s also exactly the kind of thing that can blow a fixed deadline if you’re not set up to absorb it.
What we did
Hull and superstructure, port and starboard
Mechanical rust treatment across both sides, followed by full high pressure washing to get the surface roughness coating needs. We covered the previous charterer’s logos, then spot treated rust and applied dual layer primer and a full topcoat, masking the old branding out completely under the new finish.
348 windows, 178 starboard and 170 port
Old silicone off every window, frames treated for rust, three layers of paint, then resealed with new Sikaflex 295UV. The forward superstructure added another 40 windows of various sizes, and the stern brought 7 more plus the two vehicle ramps.
Funnel
Old branding removed and general maintenance done across all three sides.
Access
We used cherry pickers of different reach across the job, some of them craned straight onto the working areas. Every lift was checked against the maximum load the deck or ramp could take. Where the forward section areas went out of a cherry picker’s reach, the team switched to rope access instead. All works ran under a strict permit to work system, ofcourse full PPE.
Keeping the schedule
Once we knew the window frames needed more work than planned, we built that into the live schedule rather than pushing the deadline. That meant 12 hour shifts, night shifts through the worst of it, and a couple of 2×10 hour shifts to close it out on time.
Keeping the harbour clean
Full containment throughout, so none of the work affected the quay or the water at Paljassaare.
Result
| Work focus | Status |
|---|---|
| Starboard hull and windows | Completed |
| Port side hull and windows | Completed |
| 3-side funnel maintenance | Completed |
| Forward hull and windows maintenance | Completed |
| Aft hull, ramps and windows maintenance | Completed |
| Additional bridge, sundeck and anchor maintenance | Completed |