Shipboard Pipe-joining Techniques Examined
Didier Vassal, Vice President OEM and Maritime Services at Victaulic, compares the flanged and grooved pipe-joining methodologies and explains the advantages that grooved pipe joints provide over flanges. Efficient piping systems are essential for the range of services needed on board a vessel including secondary systems such as bilge and ballast systems, sea and fresh water cooling, lube oil, fire protection and deck wash. For these systems, where piping class permits, an effective…
Insights: John Lotshaw, Gulf Coast Director of Training and Workforce Development Ingalls Shipbuilding
When it comes to training, recruitment and retention issues – serious matters facing all maritime employers today – John Lotshaw probably knows better than most; what’s best for you. And, no matter what end of the maritime business model that you hail from, the challenge of hiring good people, training them and keeping them on payroll is an ongoing problem. Lotshaw joined Ingalls Shipbuilding in August of 2002 as the Director of Trades at the Avondale Site, responsible for workforce development and training and Operations support.
5 ‘Gotchas’ of Marine Insurance
“Gotchas” are pitfalls, catches, bait and land mines – a kicker, snare or snag. They are surprises and, in the world of insurance, surprises are rarely a good thing. ‘Gotchas’ can be caused by different things. It may be the age of the coverage forms; it may be case law has moved on beyond the policy’s intent. Or, it may be there is a ‘disconnect’ between policy wording and current business practices. Sometimes, these things occur simply because some insurance contracts are impenetrable. Insurance policies are a distinctly difficult set of documents to understand.
New Induction Coating Removal System Developed
Shipyard workers from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard have implemented an induction coating removal process that has reduced work execution costs and resulted in a safer work environment. Based on four available induction coating removal machines with trained personnel, this process has a potential cost avoidance of $655,000 per submarine availability and $2,620,000 per carrier availability. Once again Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has used Lean Manufacturing to improve productivity and reduce the Navy’s maintenance costs. Plastic Fabricator Tom Gardner has first-hand knowledge of the cost and time savings involved with the use of the induction coating removal process.
Take a trip to a Ship Graveyard
Imagine earning $1.25 a day to wade through knee-deep mucky waters on a beach in Bangladesh, to dismantle enormous ships with little more than hand tools. This practice is conducted every day by Bangladeshi laborers who work as ship breakers. These vessels, many of which are cast-off single hull tankers, are dismantled in mostly unhealthy, hazardous and sometimes deadly conditions. Toronto, Canada-based photographer Edward Burtynsky traveled to the beaches of Chittagong, Bangladesh in 2000 and 2001 to capture on film a process few have seen before. MR/EN spoke with Burtynsky, and with his cooperations presents a selection of his photographs taken on location a ship breaking facility. – By Regina P.
New Surface Cleaning Process Saves Navy On Maintenance
The paint department at Pascagoula, Miss.-based Ingalls Shipbuilding has developed an innovative method of accomplishing business in surface preparation and painting process — saving the U.S. Navy on ship upkeep and maintenance. The main premise here is reaching a goal of improving the life cycle of all Ingalls-constructed destroyers. "We have started a new process of cleaning and painting the assemblies before we stack them on top of one another," said paint foreman Tommy Vick. "Now we can reach almost all surfaces, even those we cannot see or reach with hand tools. The extension of a ship's life cycle involves a new procedure consisting of a new abrasive medium. "We replace Black Beauty with Bar Shot in the process of cleaning assemblies," said paint foreman Jon Evans.
Boatbuilding: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Streamlines Operations With Flexible Buildings
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), harbored on an island between Kittery, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has weathered many a storm since its creation in 1800 under President John Adams. As the nation's first naval shipyard, PNS has risen and fallen with the fortunes of sail, steam, and atomic-powered seacraft. In recent decades, it has reinvented itself as a top-notch provider in the life cycle maintenance of modern Navy submarines. Yet like other shipyards nationwide, PNS has been under pressure to streamline operations and maximize productivity. To this end, the shipyard has been upgrading its facilities. As buildings for storage…
