Feature 5 | PROPULSION SYSTEMS REPAIRS AND UPGRADES


equipment its highly trained propeller technicians allowed vessels to continue their cargo operations without any off hire and generally within hours had the propellers repaired. Straightening large bends combined


with sectional reduction methods are employed by SSA to restore propellers quickly underwater. Hydrodynamic and static balancing is then carried out by the company in accordance with criteria established by the SSA engineering department. “By focusing on the hydrodynamic balance of the propeller,


operational efficiency is maintained at the highest level without risking cracking or further damage to the propeller,” SSA states. One notable project took place on


early February when a fully loaded vessel entered Nova Scotia with a significantly bent propeller. Within hours a team was dispatched from the SSA member company in Halifax, and with straightening equipment in tow, the propeller was restored to original geometry completely below the waterline without the need for de-ballasting or other


special requirements. Belgium’s FN Diving also reports


increased propeller repair activity, largely due to severe ice conditions in the northern hemisphere this year. Te company says it repaired numerous major and minor damages on propellers caused by the impact of ice. Bent propeller blades are a particular


problem, the company points out, increasing fuel consumption and cavitation damage. FN Diving offers inspection and repair of bent propeller blades in one operation. SRCT


Schottel opens spare parts centre Optimisation of propulsion repair logistics is a key aim.


and operators. Propulsion specialist Schottel has addressed this issue with the inauguration in March of a new spare parts warehouse at its headquarters in Koblenz, in Germany, which will be responsible for the procurement and global distribution of spare parts for the company’s azimuthing propulsion systems. With the opening of the new warehouse


T


facility, Schottel will be separating spare parts logistics for existing customers from the production logistics for the manufacture of new systems. Ralf Wöllert, director,


he prompt provision of spare parts reduces downtime and is therefore vitally important for all shipowners


Inauguration of the new Schottel Logistics Centre by Ralf Wöllert, director, customer support (left) and Dieter Hahn, general manager, service department (right).


customer support, says: “Tis enables all customer orders to be handled with top priority and from order picking to shipping the process remains the responsibility of Customer Support. Furthermore, the facility also has its own purchasing unit with exclusive responsibility for the spare parts service, and so we can give particular attention to fast procurement in especially urgent cases.” SRCT


Thruster replacement undertaken at anchor


When a container vessel lost the blades of its bow thruster, Hydrex was asked to remove the damaged thruster and replace it with a spare one, while the vessel was at anchor in Singapore.


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elgium-based Hydrex recently carried out a thruster replacement in difficult circumstances in


Singapore. Due to bad weather and a current of up to three knots it was decided that, rather than using the usual flexible mobdocks, the entire operation would be performed underwater and in the wet.


Hydrex divers entered the thruster


tunnel and carried out a detailed inspection of the broken unit, which revealed that the axis connecting the propeller to the gearbox had broken off, causing the blades to go missing. Aſter


New bow thruster ready to install. Shiprepair and Conversion Technology 2nd Quarter 2010


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