Steel Repair News

International Marine and Industrial Applicators, LLC (IMIA), a portfolio company of an investment affiliate of J.F. Lehman & Company (JFLCO), announced it has acquired Main Industries, Inc.Headquartered in Hampton, Va., Main Industries provides preservation, scaffolding and environmental containment services to the marine vessel new construction and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) markets. The company supports the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier new construction and MRO requirements (including refueling overhauls) in the Mid-Atlantic region…

There is an old adage that states that a repair yard can economically build new ships, but a new construction yard should never touch ship repair jobs. In my experience there is a lot of truth to that statement, and it does not mean that new construction yards are run by less capable people; it simply means that ship construction and ship repair and conversion are fundamentally different business models. Ship construction uses a script, while ship repair and conversion is improvisation. I will not drive the theater comparison completely home, but it has some validity.

From 3D laser scanning to Computational Fluid Dynamics, an efficient and successful major mid-life refit such as the one completed on the RV Roger Revelle requires intricate advance design planning, an updated technical toolbelt, as well as the personal touch. Tim Leach, Principal, Naval Architect (Glosten), walks us through the process.Tim Leach, Principal, Naval Architect, Glosten. Image courtesy GlostenWhat work was completed by Glosten on the RV Roger Revelle midlife refit?Glosten has a long history of working with Scripps (SIO) and the Revelle.

Gibdock said its Gibraltar yard has completed two projects recently  that demanded ships re-entry into service without delay. Returning customer Compagnie Maritime Nantaise (CMN) chose Gibdock’s facilities to carry an extensive package of work on its ro-ro container vessel, MN Calao, which spent 18 days in the yard last month, taking in its five-year classification survey. The 12,026 dwt, 160m long vessel, which was originally delivered by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in 2013, is a sister to the same owner’s MN Tangara, which was docked at Gibdock in June and July 2017. For MN Calao, Gibdock was tasked with carrying out an extensive and complex paint job, covering the underwater hull and the superstructure, including the funnel and mast areas, to return the vessel to ‘as new’ condition.

The Caribbean shipyard Grand Bahama Shipyard Limited (GBSL) worked on 49 commercial vessels and 20 cruise ships throughout 2016, with scope of works ranging from major steel fabrication and repairs, to engine and technical systems overhauls, hull treatment and tank cleanings. And looking to 2017 and beyond, the yard reports it has a healthy order book, with docking periods secured as far ahead as three years. VShips USA brought two bulk carriers, CSL Acadian and CSL Argosy, to GBSL to do tank cleaning on both vessels. CSL Acadian also received extensive pipe work.

The 127,500dwt Solitaire has completed some of the most challenging projects in which heavy pipe has been laid in very deep waters. Originally built in Japan as a mini-Capesize bulk carrier, the Lloyd’s Register-classed vessel was converted to lay pipe in 1998. She has full dynamic positioning and can carry a pipe payload of 22,000 metric tons. Recently, however, the vessel’s operator Allseas decided to repair parts of the 550m2 tank top in hold number 6 which had corroded. After a detailed assessment was carried out, Allseas opted for SPS technology instead of steel renewal.

IE has repaired the deck of a Ueushuk Fisheries Ltd owned fixed gear vessel, the Atlantic Optimist. The existing steelwork on board the vessel was badly corroded, access tight and a crop-and-replace repair was an unattractive option. When IE personnel arrived in Canada in mid-April, the 40msq of deck requiring steel reinstatement had already been grit blasted. Solid perimeter bars that form the boundary of the cavity and top plates were welded into place and the resulting cavity…

At 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officially opened the Soo Locks for the start of the 2015 Great Lakes shipping season. The locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan are among 16 locks that form the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system which extends from Duluth, Minnesota to the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence Seaway. Together these 16 locks lift or lower ships 600 feet - the height of a 60 story building. Since the Soo Locks closed in January, the Corps has been busy executing winter maintenance, repair and rehabilitation projects. In total, the agency spent $9.5 million on various projects to enhance the reliability of the Poe and MacArthur Locks.

In a business where time is money, Signal Ship Repair’s niche ‘high blocking’ repair methods have significantly reduced repair times and increased shipyard efficiencies. If Signal Ship Repair’s (SSR) primary business can generically be described simply as ship repair and conversion, then it can also be said that its practice of ‘high blocking’ to facilitate faster, and more efficient in-house Z drive repairs is its signature service. Utilizing a simple but highly effective shipyard technique, SSR has taken a routine practice originally used to facilitate naval ship drydockings, and turned it into a signature service that helps offshore clients with drop down thrusters, z-drives, pods and keel coolers get repairs done rapidly.

Drydocks World, an international service provider to the marine and maritime sectors including to the oil and gas and energy industry, announced the completion of major repair and refurbishment of National Drilling Company’s (NDC) jack up drilling rig Al Ittihad. The company said it has carried out maintenance work on several of NDC’s rigs, and the numbers have increased over the years: Drydocks World received four orders in 2013 to add to the eight projects completed previously.

The month of January 2013 was again a very busy month for A&P Shipyards in the northeast of England. Longstone (Andrew Weir Shipping) - undocked early January after      an intensive 12 day programme overhauling the stern ramp, vent fans and      sea valves. The ship sailed away on time on 4th January. Pride of York (P&O) - docked on 22nd January where she underwent her annual refit. She sailed on      the 10th February. The Tyne saw a couple of demobilisation projects for Technip Offshore Wind Limited in January on UR101 and AMT Discoverer. Both projects involved removal of cable carousels and associated equipment. They both successfully completed on time. The same owners have now just stemmed another mobilisation on the Normand Progress.

Gibdock has completed its work on the semi-submersible accommodation platform, Etesco Millennium - the first offshore platform project to be undertaken by the yard in almost 15 years. The semi-sub’s eight-month stay at the yard represented an important milestone for the Gibraltar shiprepair facility, as it continues its campaign to broaden the range of its growing offshore business. Etesco Millennium arrived at Gibdock in October 2011 and the yard worked closely with the owner…

Gibdock’s strategy to carve a niche in the growing regional market for jack-up and semi-submersible drilling rig repairs, maintenance and modification work, is closer to fruition. Following the arrival in October of the 22,604gt Etesco Millennium, a modified semi-submersible built in 1976 by Marathon Le Tourneau and upgraded in 2006,  steel repair work has been carried out afloat and tasks in the pipeline include tank cleaning and repair, and work to enable safe mooring. A survey of the rig structure is being carried out to ascertain its condition. The contract is an important landmark for Gibdock, which has not handled a drilling rig since 1998. “We believe that the successful completion of this project will lead to more work of this type,” says Beards.

A $1m plus contract was recently awarded by the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park to Bay Ship & Yacht Co. of Alameda for the restoration of the historic three-masted, steel-hulled, square-rigged sailing ship, Balclutha. Known locally as the National Maritime Museum, the park is operated by the National Park Service. Fred Shepherd, facility coordinator for the park, which is located adjacent to San Francisco's Fishermen's Wharf, points out that the ship is a star attraction at the park, which has almost 1 million visitors per year.

Latest quotes from China are showing radically higher steel repair figures, according to sources. From about 70-80 cents per kg a year ago, steel repairs are now being quoted at $1.30-1.50 per kg by Chinese repairers. “This reflects the fact that they don’t really want the work”, said one source. “They’re full!”. Nevertheless these new price levels are still well below Black Sea rates of close to $2 per kg and south European prices of well over $3 per kg. Despite a period of unprecedented profitability in most key markets, owners’ approach to ship repair has not changed, repair sources are saying. First, owners sought to postpone repairs as long as possible to make the most of soaring spot and short-term rates.

Traditionally Alaskan cruise vessels are known to make regular stopovers at Bay Ship & Yacht Co.'s Alameda, Calif. shipyard and drydock facility for routine maintenance and repairs. The yard has served as host to clients, such as Special Expedition Marine, which brought in its Sea Bird and Sea Lion vessels before reaching their winter destinations in either Mexico or the Caribbean. Yorktown Clipper, which is owned by Clipper Cruise Lines underwent a major steam boiler refit, while Alaska Sightseeing Cruise West brought its Spirit of '98 for maintenance, as well as Spirit of Endeavour for a habitability retrofit. ecent customers include Red & White Fleet's tour boat Harbor Princess…

NorShipping 2001, held in Oslo, Norway in early June, once again proved to be a dynamic exhibition complete with some of the more influential personnel in the marine business on-hand for the week long event. As usual, marine manufacturers used the platform of NorShipping to launch new products, systems and services to the international market, some of which is detailed in the following report. Wärtsilä Corp., the ubiquitous propulsion system manufacturer announced that it had received a contact to supply the complete marine power system for the first of a series of environmentally safe 40,000-dwt chemical/product tankers building at the San Marco shipyard in Italy. For the 40,000-dwt tankers, Wärtsilä will be just that, as it is responsible for the complete functionality of the system.

Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with SeaAmerica Cruise Lines, Inc., based in Hollywood, Fla. Under the MOA, LSS and SeaAmerica will develop a ship design leading to contract negotiations for the construction of two 42,000-ton, 1,000-passenger cruise ships. The program will include options for two additional ships. Construction of the ships would utilize both of Litton Ship Systems' production facilities, Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula and Litton Avondale Industries in New Orleans, and would maximize the resources and experience of both shipyards to achieve operating synergies. Accommodations will include 87 percent outside cabins (most with private balconies)…