Meteor stays fit with regular maintenance

The vessel’s former captain, Niels Jakobi, told MJ the 97.5m long and 16.5m wide ship docked for its second visit to MWB inside twelve months, this time for about 10 days of largely routine work.

Jakobi now heads the Institute of Oceanography’s Coordination Centre for German Research Vessels at the University of Hamburg. His centre is also responsible for the 93m German research and survey ship Maria S Merianand Jakobi revealed it was also going in for yard work. It is going to the Emder Werft und Dockbetriebe this month for work including the installation of an improved EM122 sounding plant, of the type already installed on Meteor.

Jakobi said the latest work on Meteor included hull conservation and anti-fouling painting as well as tank conservation. He said the ship’s two diesel generators were also overhauled as were winches and interiors. Some anchor chain was swapped and a winch console modified. He said modernisation work was also carried out on scientific equipment and an integrated bridge.

Meteor was one of the last ships built at the old Schlichting Werft in Lübeck-Travemünde in 1986. Reports said it was also returning to Bremerhaven later this year to exchange measuring equipment.

Meteor spent about four weeks at MWB late last year for work which Jakobi said at the time cost €2m and also included the overhaul of two diesel generators and two 1,150kW tandem electric drive motors. Other work at that time also involved ballast tank conservation, hydrophone gear repair, bow crane and winch system overhaul and maintenance and the renewal of the upper mast.

Earlier this year the German Government announced it would spend nearly €850m over the coming years on four new research ships, one of which is a €160m replacement for Meteor.

Asked why so much was being spent now on the old Meteor with a replacement ahead, Jakobi told MJ a start would not be made on the new Meteor until about 2019, meaning completion in about 2020. “The current Meteor needs to sail for at least that length of time and has to guarantee safe operations as well as the safety of the scientists on board up until her last day in service”, he explained.

“If we were to no longer carry out certain works, the ship would age very rapidly and that would be against our principles”, Jakobi said, adding that was why there were also plans now to also install a new water ballast treatment plant in the old ship “over the next few years”.

By Tom Todd