A company is turning former cruise ships into floating hotels — see inside its largest 'floatel'
Jeff Vinnick, Bridgemans Services Group
- Bridgemans ServicesGroup operates a fleet of former cruise ships turned into hotels.
- Its "floatels" are designed to house workers during long-term projects.
- See its largest 652-cabin floatel with a game room and buffet.
Some old and unwanted cruise ships meet their demise at ship-breaking yards, where they are disassembled and sold for scrap.
Other vessels find a more fortunate fate, receiving a second chance to do what they already do best: serve as floating hotels.
Canada-based Bridgemans Services Group buys and charters former cruise ships to turn into "floatels," outfitted with standard cruise amenities like daily housekeeping, buffets, and relaxing lounges.
But the ships aren't designed to transport tourists from one destination to another anymore. Instead, companies turn to Bridgeman when they need to house workers for a long-term project, whether it be the construction of an offshore wind farm in Europe or the shooting of a major film in a remote destination.
Bridgemans Services Group
In more metropolitan areas, Bridgemans says its ships could lessen the stress an inundation of workers might have on the local housing market.
And once they are no longer needed, the vessels depart and "leave no trace behind," the company said.
Bridgemans Services Group
Grange said that its deployments — most often for liquified natural gas companies — last for an average of two years.
In the past, it has also provided accommodations for MSC Cruises at its Ocean Cay private island and housing for more than 1,000 workers in the Philippines' on a project for the Manila International Airport during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bridgemans Services Group
The floatel operator acquired its largest ship, the 561-foot-long MV Isabelle X, in 2023.
In its past life, the 35-year-old vessel sailed around the Baltic Sea as one of Estonia-based Tallink Gruipp's cruise ships.
But gone are its days of leisurely cruising. The 35,000 gross-ton ship is now on its first deployment in Howe Sound, just north of Vancouver, where it's housing more than 600 workers who are building Woodfibre LNG's "net zero" LNG export facility.
Bridgemans Service Group
The process included updating the ship's cabins and adding amenities like a game room and an 8,000-square-foot gym.
The latter two are especially important: "We need to make sure we delineate between work and home," Grange told BI. "We have to create a social environment on board these vessels that makes it attractive for workforces around the world."
Bridgemans Services Group
The sports lounge has large television screens, while the games lounge has darts, ping pong tables, and air hockey.
Bridgemans Services Group
Or, they could recharge and catch up on the latest shows in their cabins, which all come with desks, storage, and 32-inch televisions.
Bridgemans Service Group
The ships' chefs tailor their menus to the demographic and dietary restrictions of the workers on board, the company's president told BI.
Residents can expect at least four protein options, plenty of veggies, and handmade bread and desserts.
Bridgemans Services Group
Grange says this allows the ships to maintain food quality and consistency in remote locations.
Remember that deployment in the Philippines during COVID-19? He said the ship had packed almost 800 tons of food ahead of the project.
Bridgemans Services Group
But he did note that the cost of a cabin on the Woodfibre LNG project in Howe Sound is comparable to a hotel room in nearby Vancouver, as is the case with most of its projects near major cities.
Bridgemans Services Group
According to the company's president, the vessel is small and high-end, likely to be used for sporting events and movie shoots.
It could also be the start of a greater expansion: He hopes to add two or three more vessels to its fleet in the next five years.
Bridgemans Services Group
Who knows, the next time you see a cruise ship off the coast, there's a slim but possible chance it could be housing workers — not vacationers.