Maintenance Repair News

Japan-based Toray Industries has secured type approval from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VaRTM) process for in-situ ship repairs, developed jointly with MODEC.The technique entails applying carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) to corroded areas with reduced thicknesses of floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) and floating storage and offloading (FSO) systems.ABS is one of the world’s leading classification societies, accounting for around half of FPSO and FSO certifications.

Babcock has been awarded the contract to manage the Type 23 class frigate Refit Support Group, allowing the company to take end-to-end responsibility for vessel upkeep and regeneration in preparation for handover to the ship’s crew.This innovative change follows more than five years of close working between the Royal Navy-led Refit Support Group and Babcock.It frees up UK Royal Navy personnel for front line operations and creates new and exciting roles for 40 Babcock engineering technicians and managers at its Devonport facility…

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), MTI, and Nabtesco Corporation have developed an electric diagnostic tool that records, visualizes, and analyzes the operational sounds of a vessel's engine plant for early anomaly detection.The device has been named “Kirari MUSE” and can store operational sounds from the equipment as data and use it to diagnose equipment conditions.Listening rods made of elongated metal are already widely used for diagnosing equipment conditions. By placing a listening rod on a turbine…

Accelleron has signed a new three-year agreement to deliver turbocharger services to Starlite Ferries Inc. The passenger ferry operator, located in the Philippines, has extended the scope as well as the duration of their Turbo LifecycleCare agreement, adding one further vessel to the seven previously covered. Furthermore, Accelleron’s digital engine optimization solution Tekomar Xpert is newly implemented on all eight vessels.Starlite Ferries is one of the leading shipping companies in the Philippines, serving daily traffic of around 10,000 passengers and more than 1,500 vehicles.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued a safety bulletin following the engine room flooding and foundering of the stern trawler Piedras (FD 528) which led to the failure of a liferaft to inflate. A second liferaft was successfully launched, and the crew were rescued.Both liferafts exhibited deficiencies that raised servicing and certification concerns and are likely to have contributed to the failure, says MAIB. The port liferaft was never recovered, but inspection of the starboard liferaft found that it had not been correctly serviced since manufacture in March 2007…

Currently used by Shell Marine Lubricants customers, LubeMonitor will become available to shipowners and operators through Kongsberg Digital's marketplace for maritime applications, an ecosystem of numerous applications supported by Vessel Insight SaaS-based data infrastructure.LubeMonitor combines the data from onboard oil testing, engine operating conditions, Shell LubeAnalyst laboratory results, engine inspection photos and measurements. These are used to deliver insights based on OEM recommended guidance at a total fleet…

Last month, a Hydrex diver team carried out an underwater stern tube seal repair on a ro-ro ship berthed in Algeciras, Spain.The ship was suffering from an oil leak, making an on-site repair necessary. Using a Hydrex flexible mobdock, the team was able to carry out the entire operation on-site and underwater, saving the owner an expensive and time-consuming trip to drydock.Once the operation was approved, all preparations were handled swiftly and the lightweight equipment was…

Last month a Hydrex team replaced the bow thruster of a 191-meter roro ship during the vessel’s stop in Rotterdam. Using one of the company’s workboats, the diver/technicians carried out the operation on-site.The team mobilized to the ship’s location on the workboat loaded with all the needed equipment. After the team set up a monitoring station, the divers started the operation with a detailed inspection of the bow thruster and tunnel. In the meantime, initial preparations were…

Hydrex mobilized diver/technician teams to vessels in the Netherlands and Australia to carry out stern tube seal replacements. In Flushing the repair was carried out on a 200-meter car carrier, and in Port Burnie, Tasmania, on a 188-meter RoRo vessel.Both ships were leaking oil, making an on-site repair necessary. Using a Hydrex flexible mobdock they were able to carry out these operations on-site and underwater, saving a trip to drydock.Despite the remote location of the RoRo vessel…

ABB has won a National Individual Standing Offer (NISO) to provide full-scope services for equipment installed on board Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) vessels, reducing maintenance costs and increasing uptime.The NISO covers the full range of remote diagnostics and global technical support, cyber security, condition monitoring, spare parts, operational reviews, preventive maintenance and drydocking services.Full visibility on through-life service is expected to reduce overall maintenance costs…

Jumbo developed in-house an innovation that has promise to help solve the issue of persistent flash rust caused by the removal of temporary welded securings on board its fleet of heavy lift vessels. Jumbo Chief Officer and part-time Master’s student Bob Heikoop developed the prototype, and according to the company iintial results show that the device is not only faster than existing methods of removing temporary weldings, it is also cleaner for the environment, healthier for users…

Ocean science is in high demand by scientists studying ocean acidification, wave energy, seabed composition, changing water temperatures, fish populations and dozens of other research projects. The Oregon State University (OSU) has a proud history in the field. The wide variety of research project require a variety of vessels.One boat that has made large contributions to research is the 54 by 16.5-foot Elakha which was built in 2001 at Rozema Boat Works of Mount Vernon Washington.

Underwater hull cleaning specialist HullWiper Ltd is joining forces with GAC Qatar in preparation to launch its hull cleaning solution at the Qatari port of Ras Laffan in early 2020 to meet growing demand for eco-friendly hull cleaning solutions.GAC Qatar is the only company to have been granted a license by the country’s Environment Ministry to operate hull cleaning equipment in its waters.HullWiper’s Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) complies with Qatar’s regulations, which include collection of 100% of biofouling removed during cleaning for safe disposal at the Qatar Petroleum (QP) facility after a QP test, and the maintain proper cleaning records for monthly submissions to QP Environment office…

To provide preventive and predictive maintenance services, combined with workshop services for clients operating worldwide in the offshore oil, gas, marine and renewables industry, the Dutch Van Aalst Group recently set up Nortek Services AS in Kristiansand, Norway.According to Wijnand van Aalst, CEO of the Van Aalst Group and Safeway, the initiative to launch Nortek stems mainly from the rapid growth currently taking place at a number of Van Aalst companies. Safeway from the Netherlands has achieved success with its motion-compensated gangways and Techano in Norway…

The global leader in offshore wind Ørsted has opened the operations & maintenance (O&M) base for the Borssele 1 + 2 offshore wind farm in Vlissingen, the Netherlands. The opening was organized together with Energy Port Zeeland.All construction work and maintenance will be coordinated from the new base, which is located in Vlissingen-Buitenhaven at the North Sea Port. Borssele 1 + 2 will be operational at the end of this year.The maintenance location was officially opened by deputy Jo-Annes de Bat of Zeeland, alderman John de Jonge van Vlissingen, CEO Daan Schalck of North Sea Port, director Erik de Bruyn of Cordeel Netherlands and director…

Orsted Taiwan Ltd announced that it has signed a 20-year wharf lease with Taiwan International Ports Corp (TIPC) for the development of its offshore wind farms (OWF) off Changhua County.The global offshore wind leader announced the signing of a wharf lease and a 20-year operations and maintenance (O&M) lease with the Port of Taichung, managed by Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) and TIPC Marine Construction, respectively.The Ørsted leased wharfs at the Port of Taichung will be upgraded and utilized for the construction of the Greater Changhua offshore wind farms, and the O&M site will serve as the O&M base for Ørsted‘s Changhua offshore wind farms from 2022 onwards.Ørsted’s Greater Changhua wind farms are located approximately 35-60 kilometers off the coast of Changhua County.

Tip #1: Tribology - Assume All Hydraulic Components are Designed EquallyBelieve it or not, maintenance begins during the design phase. Moving parts create friction, and friction can lead to wear, ending in premature failure, especially when tribology is ignored. In order to have a long-lasting hydraulic system, it is critical to specify operating conditions and environment during the project start. When all conditions are considered, it is possible to select the right component…

Motor-Services Hugo Stamp, Inc. (MSHS) a provider of diesel engine products and services, has entered into a definitive acquisition agreement with TurboUSA, Inc., a provider of maintenance and repair services for turbochargers. The acquisition became effective on February 20, 2020.Under the acquisition, leadership and staff of TurboUSA, Inc. will join the MSHS team and the TurboUSA brand will be retired.Are Friesecke, President of Motor-Services Hugo Stamp said: “This is an exciting event for MSHS and TurboUSA…

Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam has completed extensive annual repair and maintenance programs on three cruises ships operated by the UK’s leading independent cruise line Cruise and Maritime Voyages ahead of their winter season.The triple cruise ships are Magellan, Marco Polo and Astor.First to dock at Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam (DSAm) was the 222-meter, 46,000 GT Magellan for a four-week schedule of works that included comprehensive cleaning and inspections, repairs to the main and auxiliary engines, the overhaul of the bow and stern thrusters and the servicing of the liferafts. As work proceeded, additional repairs were identified, an occurrence that was shared by all three vessels.

Great Yarmouth-based Stowen Clean Energy has secured a maintenance contract with Equinor for its Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm off the North Norfolk coast in the UK.As per contract, Stowen will deliver a cathodic protection system for the substations for the 317MW offshore wind farm.The work will take place Q4 2019 – Q1 2020. The installation of the system will ensure the life expectancy of the assets whilst providing a way of monitoring corrosion levels.The contract win further strengthens the existing diverse portfolio of Stowens operations and maintenance project team operating out of Great Yarmouth.“The continued investment…

Dublin-based SSE Renewables, a renewable energy subsidiary of Airtricity, has selected the port of Montrose on the east coast of Scotland to serve as the operations and maintenance (O&M) base for its 1100MW Seagreen offshore wind farm.Situated over 27km off the Angus coastline, Seagreen is the furthest from shore of any Scottish offshore wind farm and is expected to produce enough renewable energy to power over 40% of all households in Scotland. When completed, it will become Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm.John Hill, Seagreen Project Director, said: “The Operations and Maintenance base will play an important role in the day-to…

Global ship repair and maintenance services market is expected to grow from USD 18.89 Billion in 2018 to USD 39.93 Billion by 2026 at a CAGR of 7.04% during the forecast period from 2019-2026.According to report published by Fior Markets, the key contributing factors for the market growth are increase in the demand for new ships and activities, shortening of supply chains in ship repair and maintenance services, increased seaborne trade against the backdrop of recent economic boom, increase in the production of vessels.The bulk carriers section is anticipated to remain leading in the global ship repair and maintenance services market with USD 4.12 billion.

New TechGuide maintenance app from MAN CEON represents new generation of instructional material.As the global maritime community embraces new digitalization technologies aimed at reducing costs and enhancing safety onboard ships, MAN CEON, which is MAN Energy Solutions umbrella brand for all its digital products, comes to the fore for TechGuide, and augmented reality maintenance platform.The new generation of instructional material with augmented reality features a mix of different multimedia.