New Year specials fill versatile German yards
Specialist workboats, small passenger ferries, pollution control vessels and research ships are among callers filling docks at German yards in the opening months of the New Year.
Arriving in February at Bremerhavener Dock (BREDO), was the 51m passenger catamaran Halunder Jet for pre-season conservation, renovation and class work. Others at the yard of late have included the 87.1m offshore supply ship Ocean Zephyr and the 54.6m research and survey ship Heincke. The 31m utility vessel Alte Weser called for class work and the 21m fishing trawlers Gerda Maria and Santa Princesa for winter maintenance along with the 92.7m LNG ferry Ostfriesland. The small Elsflether Werft booked BREDO docks for work on the 46m pollution control ship Eversand.
Leaving Schifswerft Diedrich in February was the 57.1m local passenger ferry Frisia 1X after extensive annual repair and maintenance including inspection of all main machinery components. It followed a fellow local ferry, the 59.8m Frisia 1, for similar work including Veth bow thruster, Schottel propeller, shaft and the installation of an air conditioning system. Diedrich has this year already carried out wheelhouse conversion on the 30.3m passenger ship Jens Albrecht. It stayed for about two months and work also included technical overhaul and conservation.
Among callers at Hamburg’s Norderwerft was the 61m German research ship Poseidon. Klas Lackschewitz, ship co-ordinator for GEOMAR in Kiel which runs the ship for the Berlin Government, told Maritime Journal three yards had been asked to tender and Norderwerft was the “most reasonable”. He said extensive maintenance and overhaul work was carried out on the 40 year-old veteran. It included funnel, ventilation system, fuel and dirty water tank work as well as winch overhaul.
Due for completion end March at Nordic Yards in Stralsund were months of equipment maintenance on the 56m multipurpose naval auxiliary Kronsort. Work also included some hull replacement. Also for completion end March was repair and overhaul of the 38.6m oil collection ship Knechtsand.
The 73m naval research SWATH ship Planet was leaving Stralsund in February after eight months of class, repair and overhaul work. Also leaving was another naval oil recovery ship, the 46.3m Bottsand, after a year’s stay for main engine, gearing and other work.
Just completed at Nordic is maintenance including Pump Jet and classification work on the powerful German 70m, 6,000hp multi-functional Arkona, which serves as a pollution control ship, icebreaker and emergency tug.
At the other end of the spectrum, the two German sail training ships – Greif of 41m and the 81.2m Gorch Fock were also in Stralsund for regular repairs and overhaul. Greif was also painted. Gorch Fock was later also repaired by Elsflether Werft personnel at the BREDO yard after colliding with a quayside in Wilhelmshaven.
By Tom Todd
