Quantum of the Seas

It was the biggest contract in the history of the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, Lower Saxony, a shipyard specializing in cruise ships. But the high point of the ship is the viewing gondola, the North Star. “It takes everyone’s breath away,” says Richard Fain, Executive Board Chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises, the contractor of the Quantum of the Seas and the world’s largest cruise ship company. “That is a very special attraction.” The glass sphere is visually inspired by the London Eye, the world-famous, 443-feet-high Ferris wheel in London. It has to be firmly secured and be able to sway gently, also to accommodate sea swells and breezes. Cargotec, the ship crane specialist, was commissioned with the construction of the project, while thyssenkrupp rothe erde was commissioned to deliver the bearings that attach the boom of the gondola to the ship.

The team in Lippstadt wasn’t daunted by high expectations: “We approached this project very objectively, as we do every time,” says Schlüter, the responsible application engineer. This involved working out specifications with the customer, discussing design, and calculating the bearing service life and bearing capacity based on applicable regulations.

The workers in Lippstadt have experience with slewing bearings for ship cranes. “During construction, the challenge is being able to move heavy loads in a very small area,” says Schlüter. However, up until now their contract jobs have included loading and unloading cargo carriers or suspending small boarding boats, not building amusement rides. “That’s why we couldn’t choose from a standard construction design – it is in a league of its own.” The arm of the crane is 135 feet high and can pivot 250 -degrees; the glass gondola weighs seven tons. At the same time, the bearings could only have an outer diameter of up to 11 feet. That’s why rothe erde chose a three-row structure with a roller-bearing slewing ring. And a special sealing system and seawater-resistant coating were developed in order to prevent it from rusting in the salty sea air.

In July 2014, a slewing bearing was then delivered to the crane manufacturer Cargotec and installed at the Meyer shipyard. On November 2, 2014, the Quantum of the Seas embarked on its maiden voyage. Now she alternates between crossing the Caribbean and Chinese seas. “I sure would like to take a cruise on her one time,” says Schlüter. Only to assess the thyssenkrupp rothhe erde product in action, of course.