Repairs P&O Ferries’vessel in A&P Tyne P&O’s ro/pax ferry Norbay has recently undergone a drydocking and repair at A&P Tyne which included the removal and overhaul of the vessel’s stabilisers. During the vessel’s 12 days in dock, A&P’s team removed, dismantled and cleaned the stabilisers as well as worked closely with P&O’s ship contractor to replace the seals, before the units were re-assembled, filled with oil, tested and refitted. Despite the short time in dock, A&P was also required to carry out a comprehensive array of other checks, repairs and renewals. Work included replacing 80 hull anodes and the port side belting, measuring the propeller shaft wear down, overhauling the lower hold operating cylinders and forecastle aft mooring winch and testing the rudder pressure, as well as replacing the lower hold lid hinge pins and the exhaust gas pipe above the funnel deck with new steel. Mike Wappet, Marine Director for A&P North East said, “Due to a change of schedule we had only six days’ notice of the intent to dock so our team had to ready themselves quickly. Some additional steel work was also required as part of the class survey which made the schedule tight, however we moved to 24 hour working to ensure we met the undocking deadline and maintained the highest standards of marine engineering and fabrication.” Meanwhile, A&P Falmouth welcomed a record number of vessels during October as the facility repairs, refits and maintains some nine vessels and all three drydocks. A total of five vessels will use A&P Falmouth’s drydock facilities, two of which will be double dockings. Kahrs Bereederung’s 9,313 dwt containership Samskip Express entered Dock No. 2 for a series of hull repairs from grounding damage, followed by Tarmac’s City of Chichester dredger, which undergoes standard
The Commodore Goodwill in A&P Falmouth
maintenance and repairs each year. Dock No. 3 will welcome Serco tugs SD Careful and SD Deborah simultaneously for their standard drydockings, while Dock No. 4 will play host to Condor Ferries’ 11,166 gt ro/pax ferry Commodore Goodwill as part of its Commercial Partnership Agreement with A&P. Three RFA vessels - RFA Mounts Bay, HMS Tamar, HMS Trent and P&O Ferries’ ro/pax ferry 28,138 gt Pride of Burgundy - will undergo refit work, general maintenance and mobile repairs while alongside in Falmouth. Andrea Sabbion, Business Development Director at A&P Falmouth said, “October will be a very busy month for A&P Falmouth as we have a full house of ships and all aspects of our facility will be in constant operation. “The arrival of ro/pax vessels, containerships, dredgers, military vessels and tugs shows the diversity of our expertise and facilities. This also reflects the strength of our order book and a degree of pent up demand caused by COVID-19. Careful pre-planning and schedule management has enabled us to counter some of the challenges of the last few months, particularly in relation to the supply of critical spare parts. “The team has also adapted quickly to our new stringent HSEQ measures to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 and keep our clients safe. It’s thanks to them that we’ve been able to remain operational for our clients during this time.”
Strong 2020 at Cammell Laird Merseyside’s Cammell Laird has reported a strong 2020 despite the challenges of COVID-19 – with its construction hall, workshops and drydocks in continuous use since the start of the year. Speaking about operating during a global pandemic, the CEO of Cammell Laird, David McGinley said, “Despite the restrictions and challenges of the last few months, the needs of our clients have not changed, and we have seen consistent demand for our engineering expertise and on-site facilities. The team has shown fortitude, commitment and agility throughout, which has been instrumental in keeping clients’ vessels operational and maintaining our reputation for engineering excellence.” Notable projects include the on-going transformation of the unique 6,767 gt cargo-
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passenger ship RMS St Helena, as she becomes a mobile hub for the Extreme Electric SUV racing series. Cammell Laird is also preparing for the start of the next ferry season, which will see the return of all four Calmac-owned ro/pax ferries for their annual maintenance periods. Focusing on Cammell Laird’s roster of defence work, the yard has welcomed the first of the Royal Navy’s Type 45 class of destroyer to Birkenhead. HMS Dauntless is undergoing her Power Improvement Programme (PIP), which will improve the resilience of the power and propulsion systems by replacing two diesel generators with three new systems and modifying the high voltage system. Cammell Laird is also in the final stages of a 10-month programme of equipment upgrades and general repairs and maintenance for RFA’s replenishment Tidesurge, the third of the RFA Tideclass tankers, as part of a Through Life Support (TLS) contract to maintain nine RFA vessels over the next 10 years. Upgrades to this vessel included the installation of four new 40m long exhaust systems, complete with new structural steel. A series of precision lifts were required to transfer the new exhaust system, including its 3.5 tonne silencers, into the engine room via the vessel’s funnel. The team is also upgrading the fire main (HPSW) and making improvements to the ballast water treatment system. Parts of the vessel’s Azimuth bow thruster will also be replaced, the preparation for which involved digging a 5 m pit to accommodate the 4 m diameter thruster tunnel as it is removed prior to changing out the 5 m main support tube. While in the drydock, the sea valves, rudders and propellers will also be inspected and serviced. The former Project Director for the RFA Tideclass tankers at Cammell Laird (now with Type 45 PIP), Tony Scaife said, “Working to the vessel’s design intent and using our experience from the previous Tideclass vessels, we are delivering a complex programme of work to a very high standard. It’s testament to the depth of our experience and project management skills, as well as our relationship with the Ministry of Defence, that we are able to do that.” RFA Tidesurge is expected to depart Cammell Laird in December before her sistership, RFA Tideforce arrives in early 2021. Other ongoing defence projects include wave-class fast fleet tanker RFA Wave Knight, which is nearing the end of a £14m refit programme of upgrades, servicing and refits.
