Damen Shiprepair & Conversion

Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen carries out extensive fire repairs to the tanker ‘Alia’

Date: February 2016
Ship name: ‘Alia’
Ship type: Tanker
Yard: Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen

Tasks performed for this project

Repair

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TB Marine’s tanker vessel ‘Alia’ arrived at Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen (DSV) on 25 October 2015 following a fire in her engine room. The yard was chosen as the client had an existing relationship with Damen Shiprepair & Conversion. At the time of the incident, Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam was conducting special surveys on a further six TB Marine tankers.

DSV was the only yard in the North Sea area able to accommodate the ‘Alia’ in fully loaded and non-gas free condition. The vessel was carrying 36,000 m2 of heavy fuel oil (HFO) cargo at the time the fire broke out. The Damen facility, in the south-west of the Netherlands, is able to accommodate laden tankers at its quayside and has the capability to safely oversee the required ship-to-ship transfer of the cargo in order for its onward journey.

The fire broke out when ‘Alia’ was off the coast of Denmark in October 2015. It was extinguished by the release of the vessel’s own fire extinguishers, after which the vessel was towed, over the course of 7 days, to the Netherlands. To maintain ‘Alia’s’ cargo it was essential that the HFO’s temperature did not drop below 40˚C.

As a result of the fire having reduced the vessel to emergency power generation only, this was not possible with on board equipment. Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen connected a steam generator to the lines on deck and so was able to maintain the temperature of the fuel at a steady 50˚C. An inert generator was used to keep the cargo tanks inerted, to maintain safety and facilitate the transfer of the HFO at the quayside.

As well as overseeing the cargo transfer, the yard also had to prioritize the swift return of the vessel to comfortable on board conditions, including the repair of a the sewage system. The first ‘repair’ task, upon ‘Alia’s’ arrival, was to clean away all fire-debris in order to commence with the actual scope of repair. The task was significant and took a team of 20 personnel working around the clock one month to complete.

Following this, all the relevant electrical cabling and insulation was removed in preparation for replacement, several components were covered and/or removed for replacement or repair at specialist facilities, and the affected area was repainted.

Project Manager at Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen, Ron Brusket, said of the project: “It’s been a challenging project, there was a requirement to get the vessel in working order again quite quickly in order for her to fulfil the client’s contractual obligations. We had intensive communication with the client throughout the project and with the client’s insurers and the excellent cooperation between all parties ensured things progressed smoothly and everything was completed within a timeframe of 3 months.”

DAMEN SHIPREPAIR VLISSINGEN

Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen is within easy reach of the major North Sea shipping routes and in the centre of the ARA-ports with the North Sea only six miles away, which eliminates costly diversions.