Shiprepair & Conversion Technology: 3rd Quarter 2016
With many drydocking facilities worldwide lacking the specialist equipment required to carry out large propeller repairs, Stone Marine Shipcare says its mobile workshop has been in high demand at several different locations in the past few months. This includes the Middle East where the company completed a notable recent project.
The company transported the workshop to the Oman Drydock Company, in Duqm, where it was joined by a highly experienced four man propeller service team to carry out extensive repairs to the damaged propeller of a large oil tanker. With the propeller in the workshop, the team quickly got to work measuring the bend damage and preparing the propeller for straightening and re-tipping.
Due to the extreme nature of the bend, straightening was performed in several stages over a two day period. Once completed, the propeller was made ready for the new cast tip sections to be welded into place; these had been transported to Oman inside the workshop. Accurate positioning was achieved using a propeller measuring arm and the tips were locked into position.
Once welding was completed, a full heat treatment cycle was carried out on all tip sections, using electrically controlled heating pads. The repaired areas were then ground to the correct blade profiles and their thickness and pitch checked. Finally, the propeller was placed onto a horizontal balancing machine and minor balance corrections carried out, followed by a full propeller super polish.
All of the repair work was completed in Oman in just ten days, with the mobile workshop carrying all of the specialist equipment required to carry the project out.
