12/05/2017 – Kansas City, MO – CST Industries, the world’s largest dome and bolted tank manufacturer, has been awarded the service contract for the renovations and upgrades to the Carnival Cruise Terminal in Long Beach, California
Carnival Cruise Line has embarked on a new journey. This journey will take them through a multi-million dollar renovation of its Long Beach Cruise Terminal facility that will accommodate larger ships and enhance their terminal operations. The renovations will increase the space Carnival currently occupies in the terminal facility from 66,000 square feet to 142,000 square feet. This expansion has been designed to allow for a dramatically enhanced passenger experience and improve the operational flow within the terminal.
CST has a long history with this site. In 1983, CST had originally designed, engineered, fabricated and constructed the existing 415-foot diameter dome to house Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose aircraft, with its 320-foot wingspan. The dome also has been a popular filming site. It was the location for the bat cave and Wayne Manor sets in the Warner Bros. films “Batman Forever” and “Batman and Robin”.
Since 2003, Carnival has run the Long Beach Cruise Terminal. During this time, Carnival has used just a portion of the geodesic dome and upon completion of the renovations, the dome interior will be completely accessible for Carnival’s cruise operations.
“This structure has become celebrated in Long Beach. Carnival had just renewed their lease on the property and wanted to maintain the usage of the historical structure into their overall expansion plan. We wanted to extend the life of the dome as we expect to live out the entire 60-year lease on this iconic building. Upon contacting the original dome manufacturer, we felt that we had found the right team for this project from the very first interaction. CST’s enthusiasm to find the right solution, their professionalism and knowledge of this dome reinforced our belief that we had found the right partners for this project,” stated Wilken Mes, Director of Long Beach Cruise Terminal & Commercial Port Development for Carnival Cruise Lines.
During the many years of service, unqualified maintenance professionals have worked in proximity to the structure and have caused permanent damage to the dome’s surface. Historically, the owners have made exhaustive attempts to repair this damage. The owner absorbed accumulative costs to have the dome’s exterior cleaned and many minor repairs over the 34 years of its life. Ultimately, Carnival decided to enter into an agreement with CST’s Service Team to refurbish the dome to its original condition and extend the life of this very recognizable dome.
Heath Dykes, Construction Project Manager for CST defined CST’s scope, “During the first phase, CST will remove and replace all sealant, batten bars and hub covers over the entire 260,000 square foot area of the surface of the dome. The works will also include modernization and updates to the louver, ventilation and hoisting systems which have been over utilized and a newly designed safety system will be installed to meet the current code requirements.”
Carnival and CST have developed a maintenance contract upon completion of these upgrades with CST’s Customer Care Team for periodic inspections and miscellaneous repairs, as needed, to maximize the lifecycle of their facility. “We are extremely proud that Carnival has chosen CST to support their inspection and maintenance needs and are happy to provide this value‐added service to Carnival on their dome. We look forward to a long and mutually successful relationship,” said Tom DeDonder, VP of Construction & Services at CST.
With almost 125 years in business, CST is distinctively qualified in providing premium quality products and services. CST offers a variety of repairs, modification and turnkey services for aluminum domes, dry bulk, liquid, and welded storage tanks. CST services also include ROV Water Inspection and Visual & Ultrasonic Testing.
About CST
CST is the largest dome and bolted storage tank manufacturer in the world. CST’s existing company portfolio consists of CST Storage, CST Covers and Vulcan Tanks. Five manufacturing facilities, technical design centers, and multiple regional sales offices are located throughout North America and the United Kingdom. International offices are located in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. Currently, more than 350,000 storage tanks and 18,000 covers have been installed in 125 countries throughout the world.