[Chantiers de l’Atlantique] Harnessing complexity as a competitive advantage

Leading French shipyard counts on the Siemens open ecosystem and best-in-class Siemens software to help build the world’s largest and most complex cruise ships

Some of the world’s most legendary ships have been built in Saint-Nazaire France, home to one of Europe’s most renowned shipyards. From the SS Normandie to the Queen Mary 2 to recently Celebrity Beyond and Wonder of the Seas, Chantiers de l’Atlantique is not only one of the largest shipyards in Europe, it literally builds history.

Complexity redefined
The recent vessels redefine complexity. Just take a look at Wonder of the Seas with its 18 decks, 2865 staterooms that can handle 6988 passengers, 24 elevators to move everyone around, and mind-boggling amenities ranging from water parks with surf simulators and giant swirling deck-to-deck water slides, a zip line, theatres, a casino, climbing walls – not to mention 20 restaurants and 35 bars. (There is a crew capacity of 2300 staff to help with all this fun!) With a cruising speed of 22.5 knots, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas took its maiden voyage in the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on March 4, 2022. It is set to sail the Mediterranean in the summer of 2022.

That French savoir-faire
Construction of Wonder of the Seas started in April 2019 and Royal Caribbean took delivery in early November 2021. Even if there were some delays due to the pandemic, this is an impressive timeline. Wonder of the Seas measures 362m in length and is the current world record-holder for biggest cruise ship on the seas, weighing in at 236,857 gross tons.

But how does one go about building something as massive and complex as Wonder of the Seas? We went on-site in mid-October just as the teams were putting the final touches on Wonder of the Seas to talk to the French engineers, designers and marine experts who use that famous French savoir-faire and some Siemens software to make the magic happen at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.

https://www.plm.automation.siemens.co...

Imagery courtesy of Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises.