Dry dock is an
essential asset
T
he Royal New Zealand's Naval Base Calliope
graving dock in Devonport, operated by Babcock
(NZ) Limited, continues to provide essential
docking services to both New Zealand and South
Pacific shipping companies, as well as the Pacific tuna
fishing fleet.
One such ship was the 117m, 7325grt Aranui 3 which
made the six day voyage from Tahiti, to dry-dock with
Babcock in 2012. The Aranui 3 is a mixed, passenger/
cargo vessel registered as a passenger ship, with cabins
on four levels that can carry up to 200 passengers. It
operates a 14 day cruising and cargo service between
Tahiti and the Marquesas.
The critical work for the 18 day dry-dock period
included removal of the steering gear, rudder stock and
withdrawal of the propeller shaft to replace the stern
tube seals, shaft and rudder stock bearings. Steelwork
repairs were completed with approximately 50sqm of
damaged steelwork on the starboard quarter being
renewed, prior to water blasting and painting of the
underwater hull area.
Babcock's survey team
assisted Bureau Veritas with the
10 year special hull survey and
ultrasonic thickness gauging.
The 137m passenger/
Ro-Ro ship Santa Regina
(22.4m beam, 14588grt), which
operates on New Zealand's
Cook Strait, is the largest
vessel dry-docked by Babcock
(NZ) Ltd. The critical path for
the 12 day bi-annual survey
dry-docking carried out in
mid-2012, was water blasting
Santa Regina
and painting of around
6000sqm of underwater hull
and topsides and the bridge front, foc's'le screen,
funnels and superstructure bulkheads. Shell plating
repairs were also carried out to berthing damage on
the port and starboard quarters of the ship's sides,
ballast tank top plating, and forepeak framing.
Other work included survey and overhaul of bow
thruster, sea valves, cooling water pumps, repairs and
renewals of main bilge suction, and seawater cooling
pipe work.
By working long hours and night shifts, the expanded
work package on both these ships was contained to the
original dry-dock program and met tight operational
shipping deadlines.
For further information contact: Keith Drake.
Babcock (NZ) Ltd. Phone +64 9 446-1999
See www.babcocknz.co.nz
VIP.WB13
NZ WORKBOAT REVIEW 2013
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