When owners and captains find a team they trust, no wonder they do business with them again and again. This is why Alucia was recently refitted with Diverse Projects overseeing all tasks for the third consecutive time.
The 184-footer (56-meter) is a renowned research vessel. In fact, Alucia had recently concluded filming for a BBC documentary about the Great Barrier Reef by Sir David Attenborough when the refit began around Christmastime.
While Diverse Projects is located in New Zealand, the refit didn’t take place there. Alucia was in San Francisco in the few weeks prior to the job. So, it was more convenient for the owner and crew to have the work done in the area. Bay Ship & Yacht, in nearly Alameda, hosted Alucia for the refit. Diverse Projects sent a team to set the timetable and coordinate efforts.
From late December to early March, Alucia had major machinery overhauls, including her engines. Electronics in the wheelhouse and throughout other areas were upgraded. Additional items under her five-year classification survey were addressed, and a new coat of paint was applied. Alucia totes submarines in her travels, so Diverse Projects had a handful of them refurbished, too.
All of this came after a year-long refit of the yacht, also overseen by Diverse Projects, in 2014. (Though, a few months saw Alucia at sea on a pre-scheduled itinerary.) The company says it was the most complex refit it had undertaken to that point. Alucia was a 40-year-old vessel needing class-survey and SOLAS punchlist items addressed. (Alucia was initially build as a heavy-lift ship and launch/recovery vessel for diving and submarine operations.)
Lars Bjorklund, Diverse Projects’ director, says he and his team “are tremendously proud to see a vessel we have so much history with return to us for refit.” He adds that the special purpose of Alucia makes the relationship even more rewarding. “The uniqueness of this vessel was built to broaden our scientific understanding of the ocean and illuminate its myriad natural wonders,” he explains.
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