Damen Completes Maintenance of Flintstone

The fallpipe vessel Flintstone has departed from Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam, part of Damen Shiprepair & Conversion, following a six-week programme of maintenance and repairs together with her first Special Survey. Owned and operated by the Tideway group of companies, a division of the Belgian dredging, environmental and marine engineering group DEME, the 155-metre, 20,000 tonne DP2 Flintstone is the flagship of the Tideway fleet. Her equipment includes an active heave compensated ROV with state-of-the-art survey equipment and a 200 kW mass flow excavation tool for the removal of seabed materials.

The Flintstone underwent a comprehensive programme of maintenance, surveys and testing in the run-up to her Special Survey, spending a total of 28 days in drydock at Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam (DSAm). Of the many activities that took place, the most complex with regard to the vessel itself was the refurbishment of the moon pool doors. These were lowered and supported on the floor of the drydock in order to undergo extensive maintenance, including the replacement of the main bearings. The unexpected and large scale of the machining work required made this a very challenging job to carry out within the original time allowed.

Other activities included the overhaul of all the thrusters together with the forward anchor winches and a wide range of other tasks relating to the water lines, fall pipes, ROV transport and storage, and other equipment.

While in DSAm the Huisman crane and tower were overhauled by the manufacturer. The yard provided full support including machining and supplying various components, and provided a berth for the extra time required to complete the project.

Project manager Arnold Bregman commented, “This was a very challenging project given the extent of additional works that became apparent as we progressed. However, Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam was the ideal location for this with all the necessary facilities available on site. We were also able to allocate additional manpower and schedule extra shifts. That, together with excellent communication and cooperation between all the parties concerned, ensured that we were able to complete our part of the project within the original time specified.”

Bas Peeters, Vessel Manager at Tideway, added: “Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam provided us with the skills, cooperation and flexibility that we seek in a repair yard for a vessel like Flintstone.”