Shiprepair & Maintenance: June 2019
The 266m long, 138,000m3 LNG carrier sustained damage to its hull above the waterline on the aft starboard side when it collided with a harbour tug while berthing at the Punta Europa LNG Terminal in Equatorial Guinea. Following the incident, the carrier sailed to Milford Haven LNG terminal to offload its cargo.
DNV GL instructed immediate repairs and issued an extension to the LNG carrier’s class certificate, which made the vessel ineligible for charter until the damage was fixed.
During repair work in January, the vessel remained afloat with its cargo tanks holding some residual liquefied gas or gas vapour. This allowed it to stay cool while hot work repairs were carried out and return to service almost immediately after without having to wait the typical three to four days to cool down.
In order to perform the repair work, a platform was constructed against the side of the vessel, held in place by eyes welded on to the hull. Shore-certified chemists were called in to identify the various risk areas and certify that the hot work area was safe. After the welding, tests and certification process was finished, the hull was finally painted.
The Methane Princess had previously visited the French shipyard last September for an intermediate survey and full scope of work on the engines, cargo tanks and related equipment.
