German yards tackle research ships

Germany’s largest research ship the 117.9m long and 26 m wide Polarstern spent two weeks at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven (LWB) for routine maintenance, small repairs and inspections, a spokesman for operators Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) told Maritime Journal.

The 33-year old, 12,600gt veteran regularly docks at LWB. This time AWI said it did not dock but berthed for work mainly concerning maintenance of a main engine gearing plant. Valves were overhauled and a lot of small jobs completed that “easily filled the two week stay”, the AWI commented.

That contrasts with the docking of Polarstern at LWB earlier this year for extensive repairs after limping home. One of the ships two Escher Wyss 380R pitch propeller systems developed an hydraulic fault in the Antarctic.

Polarstern is one of several German research ships earmarked for retirement and replacement before the end of the decade.

Also in Bremerhaven recently was the impressive WEGA, one of Germany’s three measurement and wreck-survey ships with the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH).

The 52.05m long and 11.4m wide ship spent three weeks in dock at German Dry Docks (GDD) before moving to a berth where it was staying “for some time”, the yard told Maritime Journal.

WEGA was undergoing renewal work, extensive external hull repairs and the overhaul of its engine plant. A new Vario filter plant was also installed. WEGA, completed in 1990 at Kröger Werft, has a 600kW Siemens electro-motor providing 11.5knots over a fixed propeller.

It carries two measurement tenders which were not involved in the GDD overhaul and were removed before it took place, Maritime Journal was told. Interestingly, however, bids are currently being invited for the replacement of the now obsolete Volvo Penta TAMD 41A main engines in those boats, which have seen much service for 25 years.

Finally, in Stralsund the unique German Navy research ship Planet is at Nordic Yards until about the end of the year.

A yard spokeswoman told Maritime Journal the SWATH ship arrived in June for six months of routine maintenance and repairs. Used for geophysics and naval technology trials and research, Planet is the biggest SWATH ship ever built in Germany and has already been in service for ten years.

Nordic said its latest stay, the fifth, was for class work and comprehensive repair and overhaul. The work covered all parts of the 73m long and more than 27m wide ship from its navigational equipment, through hydraulic systems and interiors to external hull coating, she said. There were about 300 different boxes to tick on the order docket, the yard said.

By Tom Todd