Page 22: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2002)

Personal Profile • Dietmar Wertanzl ing room steward be kept abreast of safety regulations onboard. "The principles of how the ship is managed are the same for everyone," Wertanzl said. Everyone works together to ensure that safety comes first."

With leadership a constant theme throughout the operation of each vessel in the fleet, the 3 S's are used as a tool to mend any loopholes that may occur. "We're only as good as the weakest link in our chain," Wer- tanzl said. "Leadership has to be throughout the marine and hotel sides — with the 3 S's there's no hole there."

Positivity Despite Tragedy

When MR/EN spoke with Wertanzl via conference call from his office at Celebrity's Miami, Fla. head- quarters, the nation was on the brink of the one-year anniversary marking the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., which has had lingering effects on the economy and cruise segment. But according, to

Wertanzl, the industry is coming back with a vengeance. "Obviously the whole industry has suf- fered from this tragedy," he said, "But it's (the indus- try) is coming back faster than we ever anticipated.

According to Wertanzl, in the days following the ter- rorist attacks, Celebrity staff — both shoreside and at sea — adopted a Strive = Thrive philosophy. Meaning that quick thinking and proper planning in response to this tragedy's immediate impact, positioned the com- pany for a rapid bounce back as of today.

Since the Port of New York/New Jersey was forced to cease operations for several weeks following the terrorist attacks on New York City, Celebrity had to therefore reposition its Bermuda-bound Horizon and

Zenith vessels to depart from the Port of Philadelphia — a move which despite the surrounding circum- stances — proved beneficial for the company. The two vessels now operate permanent Bermuda cruises dur- ing the spring and summer months out of Philadel- phia. In addition, Celebrity also operates another ves- sel headed towards Bermuda — Galaxy — out of the

Ports of Baltimore, Md. (April - November); and

Charleston, S.C. (December - March) on alternating 10 and 11-night cruises

While it may seem that the future of the cruise industry will come to a standstill (at last check there were no newbuilds scheduled beyond 2006), Wertanzl would disagree whole-heartedly - at least in terms of

Celebrity's future. With the inauguration of four new vessels, which make up the Millennium Class, within the last two years, Wertanzl's strategic plan is to focus on maintaining a consistent profitability while contin- uing to employ and implement new technologies, such as Internet and e-mail access at sea.

But, while he wouldn't elaborate on what the future holds for the line, he did hint that this might just be the quiet before the storm for Celebrity. He didn't outline any big marketing or fleet expansion plans, or even go into detail of how the line would plan to expand, he just simply stated with the enthusiasm of a super hero: "Fasten your seatbelts — there's more to come."

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Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has delivered two new fast ferries to the Government of

Bermuda, Ministry of Transport. The first vessel was delivered in March; a sister ship arrived in Bermuda in

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The ferries provide commuter and excursion service between Bermuda's capital, Hamilton, and the neigh- boring towns of Southampton and Dockyard.

The Somerset-Mass., shipyard was chosen from among 12 yards from four countries, Australia; Nor- way; Denmark and the U.S., that competed for the pro- ject. Designed by Incat Designs, Sydney, Australia, the 250-passenger ferries are part of new "seamless" trans- portation system involving integrated docks for bow loading and electronic tickets that are compatible with the government's bus system, explained government officials.

Each all-aluminum vessel measures 84 ft. (27.72 m) with a beam of 30 ft. (9.2 m), drawing 5.3 ft. (1.6 m).

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