Repairs Two cruiseships for H&W Belfast’s Harland & Wolff (H&W) has been awarded a drydock contract for two cruise ships from P&O Cruises and Cunard respectively that will occupy the Belfast drydock for 33 days in total. The companies have selected H&W’s iconic 81-acre Belfast shipyard to undertake drydocking work on two of its ships – the 76,152 gt Aurora and the 90,049 gt Queen Victoria. The work due to be undertaken to both ships are standard drydocking operations that will give H&W the opportunity to demonstrate to the wider cruise industry, its skills, capabilities and expertise in these types of projects. The first ship to dock under this agreement was Cunard’s Queen Victoria which will be in the yard for 17 days in May. Queen Victoria will be the largest cruise ship ever to have drydocked in a UK shipyard and the only Cunard ship to have ever drydocked in Belfast. The second ship is P&O Cruises’ Aurora which will be in the yard for 14 days in June. The arrival of these ships in Belfast will mark another milestone completed in relation to the H&W’s re-activation strategy across its key markets.
Ferry work at Cammell Laird UK’s Cammell Laird has enjoyed a busy 2022 with a range of commercial vessels visiting its facilities for extensive programmes of works. In the same month that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace visited the shipyard to unveil the new National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, Cammell Laird completed several drydockings and shiprepair projects. The 5,506 gt ro/pax Hebrides departed No. 6 drydock on March 21st following an extensive overhaul and repair programme, which included the replacement of its sewage
The Queen Victoria arrives in Belfast
The Stena Adventurer in Cammell Laird
treatment plant, and the replacement of its fast rescue boat davits. The vessel is operated by CalMac and connects the Scottish isles of Skye and Harris. Stena Line’s 43,532 gt ro/pax ferry Stena Adventurer, returned to Cammell Laird for a large package of repair and overhaul work, which included the application of a new paint system. She is one of two vessels, which operates on Stena Line’s Holyhead-Dublin route making two crossing each day. The ship has a maximum capacity of 1,500 passengers and 500 cars. The third CalMac vessel of the season, the 5,499 gt Clansman arrived in No.6 drydock in January for an extensive programme of overhaul and repair works including the removal and replacement of the sewage treatment plant and tail shaft works.
Many ferry refits at Remontowa Poland’s Remontowa, Gdansk has carried out a series of refits on-board ro/ro vessels operated by Finnlines, part of the Grimaldi Group. Finnlines has regularly utilised the facilities at Remontowa for many years. At the turn of 2021/2022, four ships visited the shipyard the 33,816 gt sisterships Finnsky and Finnsun, the 46,124 gt Europalink and the 25,732 gt Finnpulp. The first two of these ships were among the six ro/ro vessels, which, a few years ago, Remontowa lengthened by 30 m. On the Europalink, the main project was to adapt her to ice class, for which a special ice-resistant coating was applied to
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the hull - Marathon, which provides the best hydrodynamic efficiency for ice breakers and ice going vessels. In addition, the side-fenders were removed, and new ones installed. While the Europalink was still being repaired, the Finnsun arrived and was drydocked alongside. The ship underwent a special survey with maintenance and painting of the hull. On the Finnsky inspections and repairs were carried out on her propellers, steering gear, thrusters, stabilisers, shaft generators, generator sets and fans. The searchlights on the bridge were also replaced. Maintenance work included one of the car decks and the hull. The Finnpulp came in for a class renewal. The bow thruster tunnel underwent repairs, and seals were replaced on two propeller blades and the propeller shaft. Sweden’s Stena Line entrusted Remontowa with a repair job on four ferries at the turn of the year. Then, in December 2021, the Urd, which had undergone an emergency repair, left the yard. The immediate reason for the drydock was a fishing net entangled in the ferry’s propeller. The overhaul schedule mainly involved steel replacements, from ballast tanks through decks to the stern ramp. The 37,987 gt ro/pax MecklenburgVorpommern had an Erma First BWM system installed. There were two independent systems - at the bow, for ballast loading, and in the engine room area, for trimming the ship. In addition, maintenance was carried out combined with steel replacement in the ballast tanks. Stena Line’s 26,500 gt ro/pax Stena Baltica, which arrived in Gdańsk having been lengthened by 36 m in Turkey’s Sedef Shipyard. Remontowa’s task was to prepare the ferry for return to the regular Nynashamn - Ventspils route. First, the shipyard completed electrical installations and steel replacements. Maintenance and painting of the hull were also completed. The next Stena Line ferries successively serviced at Remontowa were 42,800 gt Skane and the 39,178 gt Stena Vision. The propulsion system of Skane was subject to considerable renewal. First, the shipyard workers dismantled the propeller shaft on the port side, as they did the same with the main propeller hubs on both sides. Then, together with the blades, the latter was transported to the workshop for inspection and treatment. Moreover, the tunnel thruster blades also needed treatment in the shipyard workshop. Finally, specialists replaced several dozen Winel air vent heads with outboard outlets.
