Speeding up bulk carrier repairs

TEEL repairs, carried out earlier this year on two Torvald Klaveness-owned bulk carriers, Ballangen and Bauta, at Malta Shipyards, demonstrated how Intelligent Engineering's (IE) SPS Overlay technology can be used to speed up repairs to this type of vessel. Until recently, re-instating tanktops was an expensive and time-consuming process involving the cropping out of steel and replacing it with new plating and longitudinals. However, in this situation, using SPS Overlay, the existing thinned tank tops of the Klaveness vessels were used as one side of the new composite. The class society, DNV, carried out extensive analysis prior to execution of the work. Since they were built at the end of the 1980s, the Klaveness self-discharging Handymax designs Bauta and Ballangen have served their owners well. Frequent maintenance of the double-bottom tanks had ensured that the coating systems were in good condition; however, the constant wear and erosion from cargo and handling equipment led to the steel tanktops coming close to the minimum allowed thickness. Rather than re-assess alternate loading possibilities, Klaveness decided to re-instate the tanktops. 'There were three key reasons for using SPS overlay', says Sverre Grnn, technical manager at Klaveness. 'First, the need for a predictable schedule for the work was essential. Second, we avoided the need to clean and then re-coat the double-bottom ballast tanks, saving considerable inconvenience and work. Last, but not least, the final tanktops would be more durable and resistant to damage than their predecessors, minimising future deformation, allowing for easier discharge and cleaning'. Klaveness approached DNV for approval of the use of SPS Overlay, and the class society's major concern was not the sandwich design itself, but its termination at the base of the hopper tanks and stools. As the double bottom is a major contributor to longitudinal strength, the transfer of stresses between the conventional structure and the sandwich was seen as a possible hotspot for future through-life fatigue.

An overhead view of re-instatement work, using Intelligent Engineering's SPS Overlay, in progress at Malta Shipyards on the bulk carrier Bauta.

Considerable time savings DNV conducted a detailed finite-element method (FEM) analysis, and working together with IE, a satisfactory solution was found. Stuart Rolland, from Intelligent Engineering, observes, 'Torvald Klaveness avoided lengthy deviation and time out of service by conducting the repair at Malta Shipyards rather than travelling to the Far East. The repair took 23 days rather than an estimated 56 to crop and replace the tops, and deviation was only eight days each way. With charter rates as they currently stand, the opportunity costs savings could not be ignored'. The work was conducted in Malta in conjunction with IE's field engineers. In total, 3025m2 of SPS Overlay on Bauta was completed in just 23 days in a number of steps. The process involved cleaning and grit-blasting the tanktops; attaching the perimeter bars and top plates, and injection of polyurethane

SPS Overlay was additionally used to make repairs to the bulkhead between No 5 hold and the engineroom on Ballangen.

elastomer, which cures to form a solid core within three hours. A similar programme of work was also carried out on Ballangen. IE points out that the steel repairs on the Klaveness bulkers demonstrated how SPS Overlay can also be used to repair bulk carrier bulkheads. On Ballangen, excessive diminution of the bulkhead between hold No 5 and the engineroom was repaired using the technology. The extra work involved integrating 225m2 of SPS Overlay bulkhead repair, extending to a height of 8m, with oversteelwork to the hatch coamings and the side shell. The non-intrusive nature of the SPS process meant that the repair could be carried out at the same time as other work and avoided a requirement for extensive and time-consuming fuel tank cleaning in the engineroom and double bottom. Moreover complex cable and pipework on the engineroom side of the bulkhead remained intact throughout the repair. At the same time, a slight design modification made possible by the use of SPS Overlay enabled water ingress alarm sensors to be installed with additional protection. IE points out that SPS Overlay can provide fire protection equivalent to A60 and so can satisfy fire regulations for insulation between flammable cargoes such as fertilisers, and the ship's fuel tanks. Furthermore, it can be used to strengthen existing tanktops to enable higher point loads, so increasing cargo carrying capacity for cargoes such as steel coil. IE is now working on another notable bulk carrier repair project, this time involving Gayle Eustace, for an American owner. This work is being carried out in Mexico at a yard in Vera Cruz, and is the second occasion where the bulker has been upgraded using SPS.

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SHIPREPAIR AND CONVERSION TECHNOLOGY 3RD QUARTER 2005