Mermaid Marine expands its service facilities
Poole based Mermaid Marine is expanding its service and maintenance facilities.
The company already has contracts with several commercial suppliers including South Coast Port Services (SCPS) based at the Port of Southampton and with HSL 102, the last surviving 100 class vessel.
With ship mooring and support services provided 24-hours a day at, SCPS has been using Mermaid Marine’s services for the last 15 years on its five workboats and launches, to ensure there are no breakdowns and the vessels remain in service.
“Mermaid Marine provides us with an excellent service and are able to attend to any service issues within 24 hours,” explained SCPS director Martin Eardley. “It’s imperative to SCPS that four out of five of our launches are available on a 24/7 basis to meet the requirements of this very busy port.”
The engines – an FPT N67 280 (de-rated), Mermaid Melody based on a four cylinder Ford block and three Mermaid Mariner engines based on six cylinder Ford blocks,
have been reconditioned over the years by Mermaid Marine under its monthly contract with an upgrade to the FPT engine, replacing an old Ford, earlier this year.
“It’s usual for us to have one launch in refit for three or four months of the year,” said Martin who explained that the vessels are in constant use with SCPS’s mooring services used by all the major shipping lines together with one-off callers at the port.
Offshore
HSL 102 was one of the first fast offshore rescue boats in service with the RAF.
Built in 1936 by the British Power Boat Company at Hythe the HSL 100 class was designed by Fred Cooper who also designed Sir Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebirds and was one of the most technologically advanced production vessels of her time.
The current three FPT Iveco, six-cylinder diesel engines, each developing 400HP and making 30 knots in sea trials were fitted by Mermaid Marine in April 2012 at the same time as her gearboxes were overhauled.
Since then, Mermaid Marine has regularly serviced and looked after the engines.
“Mermaid Marine did a wonderful job overseeing the installation and trials,” said Richard Hellyer of the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust which runs HSL 102.
“We’re very satisfied indeed with the service and all the help given to us to achieve our aims.”
“We do already have several contracts for carrying out servicing and repairs to engines and it is a growth area for us and an area we are developing,” added Ed Nugent, Mermaid Marine divisional manager.
“Companies are realising the value of preventative maintenance and keeping their vessels running rather than calling us out for breakdown repairs.”
And he explained that more companies are talking about contract servicing and as such Mermaid Marine is expanding its service.
“Our engineers are able to travel to almost any location to carry out work and we also have a nationwide body of dealers who also carry out servicing as well,” he said.
Visit Mermaid Marine at this year’s Seawork International on stand number A65.
By Katina Read
