Monumental balconies with a view over Royal Promenade, from where you can watch what happens on the pedestrian street.
die” moment for the project arrived in
PASSION FOR BUILDING SHIPS
handle the task of the Project Manager for
the beginning of the year. Hellgren was
While Hellgren became the Project Man-
the most demanding part of the project:
still new at the helm, having become the
ager rather abruptly, those in the know
the end run.
Project Manager only in December 2007.
had no doubts about her ability to per-
She notes that the ship-building it-
“After Christmas we had fallen be-
form under pressure. Having worked for
self was familiar enough, but being the
hind on the schedule and needed to get
Aker Yards for 23 years, she knows ship-
go-to-gal at the shipyard required for her
back on track,” she reminisces.
building inside and out. During her career,
to adjust her mindset. Good argumenta-
she has been involved in production and
tion skills and calm logic helped her see
planning, as well as purchasing.
the project through.
In late January, Hellgren finally had
to respond. She called the team leaders
in for an emergency meeting and the ex-
Hellgren’s track record is not that sur-
“Of course, the project was that
perts put their heads to the grindstone
prising, either, given the fact that she knew
much easier because we had already de-
in earnest.
already in high school what she wanted to
livered two Freedom class ships before. The
do in life: to build ships.
planning phase was lighter and we had es-
“Thankfully, we had no big techni-
tablished teams in production,” she says.
cal problems to contend with. It was just a
She sure got her wish. Hellgren has
matter of picking up the pace,” she says.
been involved in the building of all three
Better organisation helped to push the
Freedom class ships, honing the designs
project over the hump: things were now
of the world’s biggest boats. Hellgren’s ex-
Independence of the Seas has been char-
done better and smarter than previously.
perience with the first two Freedom ships
acterised to be a small city upon the waves.
“That was clearly the biggest chal-
– Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the
The ship is packed with restaurants, thea-
lenge of the project,” Hellgren says now.
Seas – gave her confidence that she could
tres and cafés, featuring a shopping mall,
FLOATING CITY
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