Lean, Mean, Insulating Machines: Modular Galley Equipment by Cospolich

Modular construction of galley equipment is changing the way ships are refitted. In the past, just getting the new equipment onboard could mean putting the vessel in a shipyard for several days, possibly weeks, while crews sweated to get, for example, a walk-in freezer through the maze of hatchways and doors to where it needed to go. Forget about fire in the hole; rather, it was a two-ton ice machine lodged in a hall.

Meanwhile, getting the old equipment off the ship was hardly an easier task and often required tearing holes in bulkheads, widening exits, or breaking down other obstacles that might stand in the way. Afterward, all of that wreckage needed to be put back together—bulkheads repaired, repainted, sometimes even re-welded—which undoubtedly meant even more time in the shipyard, more time wasted.

Expensive as the refurbishment process was, even more expensive was the fact that during all that time the vessel was completely out of service.