Sun, seawater and wind – the natural environment makes considerably more demand of material at sea than on land. In addition, steel faces stress caused by severe temperature differences, the vibrations of 60,000 kW engines and the twisting of the ship‘s hull. Some PCI products developed specially to meet these requirements were recently installed on the giant “Celebrity Solstice” cruise liner.

The Celebrity Solstice is one of the largest liners ever built in Germany and among the top ten in the world. Modern luxury liners of this class are certainly impressive, not only because of their size but also because of the exclusive materials used and the comprehensive services available. In creating an exclusive atmosphere, high-quality ceramic and natural stone floor coverings play a key role.

“The challenge is to lay these floor coverings in such a way as to achieve durable high quality,” reports PCI Specialist Adviser Thorsten Wetjen. This is certainly a tall order for the tilers, especially since several project stages often have to be completed in parallel because of the tight time schedule. Depending on the work required by the time schedule, contractors often have to cover considerable distances. This is hardly surprising on a ship which is as long as three football pitches and has a total of 17 decks.

“The products used on board need very special properties. The stress faced by material exposed to saline seawater with virtually no protection is very severe. Materials also need to withstand both high and extremely low temperatures, as well as the resulting expansion and contraction of the steel structure,” Thorsten Wetjen reports. But that is by no means all: many materials would already be destroyed by the constant vibration of the 67,200 kW engines and the twisting of the ship‘s hull. In brief, service on a cruise liner makes extreme demands on tile adhesives and grouting materials. Wetjen adds: “That‘s why PCI has developed some special products to withstand these arduous conditions in the long term. All the products can easily be distinguished because the product name includes the word OCEAN.” Durability is essential because repair work on a ship in service is extremely difficult.

The special products developed by PCI are in accordance with the international Marine Equipment Directive (MED). For example, on the top deck of the Celebrity Solstice, the ceramic tiles were laid using PCI Ocean Flex PUR. Its impermeability to water and its flexibility make this product ideal for such applications.

With a total of 17 decks and space for more than 2,800 passengers, it is not sufficient to create an exclusive atmosphere on the top deck. Specialist Adviser Wetjen knows that the requirements in staterooms and cabins are rather different: “In these areas, the high-grade natural stone slabs of the Celebrity Solstice were laid using PCI Carralight® a lightweight, flexible thinbed adhesive.” Up to 40 tilers were at work at the same time to ensure handing over to Celebrity Cruises in accordance with the schedule. The Celebrity Solstice is just one of many ships which owe their exclusive appearance to factors including top-class materials from PCI. After all, the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg has already cooperated successfully with PCI for more than ten years.