Tikkurila paints create a refined atmosphere on board a luxury cruise ship

Building of the hull of the luxury cruise ship Celebrity Eclipse, ordered by cruise line Celebrity Cruises, was begun early 2009 at the shipyard of Meyer Werft GmbH in Papenburg, Germany. The vessel was handed over to its owner in July 2010. The interior decoration work of the ship’s main dining room was carried out by the Finnish Merima, using Tikkurila’s MED-approved paint products.

The wall elements in the main dining room of Celebrity Eclipse were painted in Finland at the production facilities of Merima Ltd, which specializes in supplying interior solutions for passenger and cruise ships. The painted surfaces were finished by spraying at the Papenburg shipyard. The interior decoration work lasted from September 2009 until the end of May, 2010.

Fire safety requirements met with standard products

The surface materials used in the interior decoration of ships must comply with strict fire safety regulations, and to find such products you need to look no further than Tikkurila Oyj’s standard product range. The Temadur products used in the main dining room of Celebrity Eclipse comply with the requirements of EU’s Maritime Equipment Directive (MED). The walls of the main dining room, Moonlight Sonata, were treated with the semi-gloss Temadur 50 paint. They were finished with a coat of Temadur Clear lacquer, to which a pearlescent substance in aluminium and gold together with a substance creating special effects had been added.

The pearlescent shades and special effects of the Temadur products were tailored to the shipping line’s wishes in close collaboration with Merima and the architect. A total of 3,000 litres of paint was consumed for painting the main dining room. Tikkurila products were also used by other subcontractors involved in the vessel’s interior decoration work.

Visual elements and details crucial in marine interiors

— Designing the interiors of luxury cruise ships is a world of its own, characterized by the importance of visual effects and mental images. Cruise lines attract customers on their websites with stunning photos and 3D perspective drawings, which allow the passengers to get to know the ship’s interior with its different themes and fantasy worlds already before the cruise, says Interior Decoration Supervisor Jere Mikkonen of Merima Ltd. He was responsible for organizing and supervising the interior decoration work of Celebrity Eclipse on site in Germany.

The architects who design marine interiors pay close attention to even the tiniest details, according to Mikkonen. The Italian interior architect Andrea Riecken who designed the interiors of Celebrity Eclipse wanted to create a tranquil, comfortable and warm atmosphere reflecting high quality in the main dining room. This started the search for vibrant, luxurious shades of a particular type not included in the ready-made color samples, to get the right shade for the painted surfaces of the dining room’s walls and ceiling.

Tailoring exactly the right shade

— Since we had already used Tikkurila products in two earlier vessels built for the same shipping line, it was natural to contact them also this time. Tikkurila’s technical service prepared close to 40 different color samples for the architect, and it took several months and repeated evaluations before a decision could finally be made on the main shade for the main dining room, Mikkonen notes.

— Tikkurila’s technical service rose up to the challenge 100-percent. They never said ‘No’, but always ‘We will look into this’. It’s no wonder the architect said we probably could not have reached such a good end result with any other paint manufacturer.
A special challenge involved in planning the painting work was the fact that the wall elements were first painted at Merima’s own production facilities in Finland. The possibility to give the structures the final touch and do the touch-up work with spray painting technique at the shipyard in Germany was, according to Mikkonen, very important for a successful end result.

— Everyone said it would not be possible to spray paint on board the ship because of the dust that was all around during the building stage and because of the simultaneous welding work. But it all went very well, thanks to the correctly chosen paint and the expertise of the painting contractors – Malerwerkstätten Klinkenborg GmbH – who did the job, Mikkonen points out.

Satisfied customer is the best prize

– We made several tests and prepared dozens of color samples to find the right shade. The paint had to meet strict quality requirements, and the product had to be suitable for industrial use in quickly applied spray painting. The development process lasted almost six months, and when the architect finally approved our latest sample, it felt like a child was finally born. Being able to satisfy the customer’s particular needs always feels like an absolute top moment and a culmination of the process, says Application Engineer Mårten Juslin of Tikkurila Oyj.

Currently, Merima and Tikkurila are developing color samples for Celebrity Silhouette, the fourth vessel in the same ship series, which will be completed at the end of summer 2011.

Celebrity Eclipse
Owner: Celebrity Cruises Builder: Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany Number of passengers: 2,852 Number of passenger cabins: 1,286 outside cabins and suites, 140 inside cabins Crew: approx. 1,271 Number of decks: 17 Tonnage:  122,000

Length: 314.80m Beam: 36.80m Draft: 8.30m Completion year: 2010 Cruise itineraries: In summer, Celebrity Eclipse sails the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, and in winter she makes Caribbean cruises. Sister ships: Celebrity Eclipse is the third Solstice-class vessel owned by the same cruise line (Celebrity Solstice entered service in 2008, and Celebrity Equinox in 2009). Tikkurila products: Tikkurila’s MED-approved products have been used in all Solstice-class vessels. 3,000 liters of Temadur paints and lacquers were used for painting the walls and ceiling in the main dining room of Celebrity Eclipse.

MED-approved products Materials used for the interiors of ships have to fulfill the requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). If the ship sails under the flag of an EU member state, the surface materials used in its interiors have to fulfill the requirements of EU’s Marine Equipment Directive (MED). MED-approved materials do not emit toxic smoke or combustion gases, and they do not propagate flames. The interiors of modern cruise ships, which resemble floating hotels, can be treated with MED-approved products that are normally used in the metal industry, and also with MED- approved interior paints, according to the surfaces to be painted and according to the characteristics of the product in question. More information about MED approved products on Tikkurila's website: MED (Marine Equipment Directive) products

Text: Leena Koskenlaakso, Omnea Communications
Photos: Ingrid Fiebak

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