When operator Cunard was tasked with refurbishing the prestigious Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), they needed the best products possible. With this in mind, Altro Transflor Gallium™ – the only polyacrylate safety flooring in the maritime sector – was specified to ensure the busy kitchen link corridors on the flagship luxury liner were kept clean and hazard-free.
The QE2, which boasts 12 guest decks, numerous restaurants, theatres and bars, is now permanently docked in Dubai and, at capacity, can hold nearly 3,000 guests and crew. With this in mind, it was vital that the flooring product it used was hard-wearing, easy to maintain and extremely hygienic.
The kitchen link corridors, which connect the QE2’s many restaurants and kitchens, are in constant use by staff. Therefore, the flooring needed to be able to cope with high volumes of traffic as well as remain slip resistant in the event of spillages. 4,000m² of Altro Transflor Gallium, in the shades of ‘Bone’ and ‘Fog’ were installed to ensure the safety of the staff.
Tracy Jessop, part of the hotel services team at Cunard, comments: “The corridors of the QE2 have to contend with high volumes of traffic as our waiters move quickly to and from the restaurants with hot food and other items. So, it was imperative that the floor we specified was hard-wearing and safe underfoot. Altro Transflor Gallium was ideal for the job as it offers maximum slip resistance that lasts throughout the life of the floor.
Added to this, the product also meets all the required safety standards for use on board ships. We are delighted with Gallium, which has proven not only extremely durable, but also easy to clean and maintain.”
Simon Andrews, maritime sales manager at Altro, comments: “Working on a project as prestigious as the QE2 was extremely rewarding for the team at Altro. We pride ourselves in being the pioneers of safety flooring and this is particularly important in the maritime sector. In this instance, Gallium was used in an area where safety and hygiene were both important. The product is designed to perform to the highest standard in both areas.
Altro Transflor Gallium is the only sheet safety flooring that is fully compliant with strict MED and IMO Fire Test Procedures (IMO FTP) Code requirements, which also provides first-class hygiene protection to reduce the spread of germs.”