Shiprepair & Maintenance: 3rd Quarter 2020
When the 2002-built, 6,730TEU container vessel, MSC Michaela, suffered a broken rudder stock and damage to its steering gear, the services of MarineShaft were called upon. Working closely with the Antwerp repair yard, Engine Deck Repair (EDR), where the ship was docked, the company manufactured a new rudder stock (measuring 782 x 6,840mm) together with two stainless steel liners. In addition, MarineShaft carried out repairs to the tiller, pintle, steering gear and carrier bearing at its workshop in Hirtshals, Denmark.
Hanne Magnussen, marketing manager, says: “We keep a large stock of raw materials in different grades and up to very large dimensions. The material required for the MSC Michaela project was in stock and as a result we were able to carry out the manufacturing process very quickly and offer a short delivery time to the customer.”
Once the new rudder stock had been manufactured and the steering gear and other items had been repaired and sent to Antwerp, MarineShaft service engineers worked round the clock in two shifts to complete the repairs to MSC Michaela in situ at EDR. The upper and lower cones of the rudder blade were welded up and heat treated, then the cones were machined to fit the new rudder stock and the repaired tiller. MarineShaft technicians also carried out the final fitting of the steering gear and alignment of the entire rudder line.
Magnussen says: “This project included an extensive amount of repair work that required close cooperation with all parties involved. We have worked successfully with both EDR and MSC on other projects and we are delighted to have been able to help put MSC Michaela back to sea as quickly as possible.”
MarineShaft has also recently completed work on a new tail shaft of a water lubricated system for the general cargo vessel, Annetta, in a project supervised by the Italian classification society, RINa. The old propeller shaft had suffered from severe cavitation between the liners, making it unrepairable. In this case the new shaft, manufactured from C45 steel, measured 352 x 5,665mm, was supplied with two bronze liners and Phillyclad coating between the liners to prevent future corrosion. Overall the manufacturing process took only ten days to complete, including the coatings.
Another recent project that underlines MarineShaft’s capabilities involved the manufacture of two new rudder stock units, together with flanges, for French passenger/ container vessel, Tuhaa Pae IV. The company had the round bar and plates for the rudder stock in stock and so could offer a fast turnaround time.
Magnussen points out: “We work in close cooperation with Force Technology and various classification societies on welding procedures and this was particularly useful in this case as we had to weld the flange onto the rudder stock. Since we had the required materials in hand, and class approved welding procedures in place, we were able to offer the customer a fast delivery time, which was an important factor.”
At the Hirtshals workshop MarineShaft carries out repairs as well as manufacturing activity and has developed propeller shaft repair techniques that can straighten bends up to 1.5m out of line. As the facility has a number of hydraulic presses the company has capacity for urgent repairs, with straightening jobs usually completed within 48 hours.
While MarineShaft’s activities are generally focused around its workshop in Denmark, it does also provide repair solutions outside this facility. These services include alignment, propeller repairs and on-site machining and re-installation.
