Global Tiger Success for Thordon Bearings

Canadian company Thordon Bearings has notched up another success story for a customer in the demanding offshore sector, with a bearing and seal installation in “perfect condition” after over three years of operation.

Global Tiger, operated by UAE-based Global Marine Co is a 42m (138ft) crew/supply vessel currently in service in the Middle East. It is one of a pair of all-aluminium crewboats built by Grandweld of Dubai in 2015/2016. The vessel, with 83-person capacity, is powered by a triple-screw Caterpillar propulsion plant, each engine rated at 1450bhp, to give a maximum speed of 26 knots.

Since the vessel was intended for operation in the Middle East, with few shipyards offering full facilities for replacing stern gear seals and bearings, Global Marine was looking for a low-maintenance solution. Previous experience with gland packing had highlighted the need for regular tightening and re-packing, along with wear to the shaft in the packing area.

The customer discussed alternative seals and bearings with Thordon, through its distributor Ocean Power International (OPI) of Dubai, and decided to use Thordon’s SXL propeller shaft bearings with TG100 seals.  Global Marine and OPI worked with builder Grandweld to ensure that the design of the vessel was optimized for the Thordon products. The ship designers modified the original design in accordance with Thordon’s recommended minimum length for seal installation. 

Global Tiger was delivered in 2016 with SXL bearings and TG100 seals on each of the three 114.3mm (4.5in) A22 Aqualloy Aquamet stainless steel shafts.

After three years of operation, Thordon’s engineers inspected the seals and bearings during a routine docking, and found no sign of wear, with the seals in perfect condition.