DIRECTOR OF DUCTZ NATIONAL SERVICE TEAM

TOM YACOBELLIS, FEATURED IN USA TODAY TO DISCUSS COVID-19 CLEANING OF DIAMOND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP

The DUCTZ National Service Team recently worked alongside parent company BELFOR Property Restoration to sanitize the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was impacted by COVID-19 and quarantined near Yokohama, Japan in early February. Tom Yacobellis, who leads the DUCTZ National Service Team, spoke with USA Today to provide a detailed look at what their day-to-day work entailed.

The level-three cleanup was a massive undertaking, but one that the BELFOR family is uniquely positioned to handle thanks to its many specialized branches. Under Yacobellis’s leadership, DUCTZ disinfected and cleaned the HVAC systems, ductwork, and associated mechanical components throughout the Diamond Princess. At the same time, BELFOR’s Environmental, Marine and Technical Services divisions were also onboard to provide their expertise in properly decontaminating other areas and components of the ship. In total, nearly 240 team members responded from around the world to complete the sanitization process.

In order to ensure the safety of all BELFOR crew members and to certify the vessel as “fit to sail” once the cleaning was completed, BELFOR and Princess Cruises worked closely with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health–an industrial hygiene consulting firm–and the World Health Organization throughout the entire process.

DUCTZ is proud to have played a critical role in helping restore the safety of the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Recognizing that the general public and past cruise regulars may be hesitant about re-embarking on another cruise, BELFOR CEO, Sheldon Yellen, accepted the invitation to be part of the Diamond Princess’ first voyage once the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.

For more details about what the Diamond Princess cleanup entailed, click here to read the full article or view the PDF.

Request A Quote Or Service Today