"Everyone involved had been very pleased with Port Canaveral..." – Brian Geib, President, International Logistics Management

Like Cinderella's coach turning back into a pumpkin, the SEMAC 1 (Semi Submersible Pipelay Vessel), re-fitted to become a floating hotel, returned to Port Canaveral for re-conversion to its original form.

In February of 2001, SEMAC 1 had been re-fitted to provide living quarters for 250 workers temporarily employed on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Crews mounted 50 containers onto the main deck to create four new levels of accommodations.

With its "floatel" mission completed, the ship came back to have the containers removed and other modifications made before undertaking her new assignment in the Mediterranean.

International Logistics Management (ILM) of Palm Bay handled the re-fit. According to ILM President, Brian Geib, an operation of this type utilizes a full range of Port resources. " A lot of people were involved," he said, "including ships' agents, stevedores and many others."

Freight forwarder OBC Netherlands Ltd. chose Port Canaveral for the first modification because location made it the most economical site. In selecting the Port a second time, the overriding factor, according to Geib, was not location or cost, but previous experience. "Everyone involved had been very pleased with Port Canaveral on our previous visit. This re-fitting could have been done in Trinidad at lower cost, due to a savings of two-days sailing time. However the company chose to return to Port Canaveral because of the superior service here."