Offshore staff
GIBRALTAR – Gibdock has secured its first vessel drydocking contract from Technip.
Wellservicer, a multi-role diving support vessel with subsea lift capability, has undergone a complex class renewal docking at the Gibraltar-based yard, and has since been returned to Technip.
The 111.4-m (365-ft) long, 9,158-ton DP-3 vessel arrived at the yard on May 6 and was undocked on June 17. After several days of repairs while afloat and sea trials, it returned to the yard for mobilization work prior to leaving for an assignment offshore Canada.
The main scope of work included an extensive overhaul of the ship’s three tunnel thrusters and three azimuthing thrusters. These were removed to the yard’s workshops, disassembled and put through a rigorous maintenance program before rebuilding.
Gibdock engineers collaborated with Technip’s supplier, Rolls Royce, in this program, which also included removal of two small deck cranes and their replacement with two new 5-metric ton (5.5-ton) capacity units. This necessitated deck plate modification, including work to under deck stiffeners.
Jonathan Pocock, Gibdock ship repair manager, said: “There was a large amount of pipe modification and considerable steel work. We have carried out a number of deck crane replacements recently; this was different but we were able to draw on our past experience.”
Other work included upgrading the fire line system by fitting new pipework, and erection of large amounts of scaffolding to provide safe access to the helideck, and to perform works to the under deck supports.
7/31/2013
