New Materials Technology Extends Carriers
Buckinghamshire UK based Intelligent Engineering has completed an innovative project for Wallenius Lines to strengthen the decks of their sister ship car carriers ‘ Don Pasquale’ , ‘ Don Quixote’ and ‘ Don Carlos’ .
The global vehicle distributor and logistics firm needed additional flexible cargo capacity on each of the three ships in order to enable them to handle increasingly high and heavy cargo, including trucks, tractor units and construction plant.
Using Intelligent Engineering’s SPS Overlay Technology, the project consisted of the insertion of a new 28m midbody section which has strengthened a 2,000m² of the ships’ main decks giving a greater loading flexibility. In fact, the work resulted in each vessel having the capacity to carry about 20 percent more cargo, including higher and heavier units.
The work was undertaken at the Hyundai Vinashin in Vietnam, but V Ships’ SeaSquad riding squads prepared the vehicle carriers during their repair voyages by blasting, cleaning and preparing steel for SPS Overlay. This took pressure off the yard and helped project managers stick to a tight 38 day timetable for each vessel.
Additional support was provided by Intelligent Engineering’s licensee, Keppel, who provided extra injection engineers. Hyundai itself carried out the necessary steel work, incorporating many thousands of deck fittings.
Steel work and elastomer injection work was completed on each ship in about 15 days, well within the critical path for this type of project and in less time than would have been required for conventional steel work. The work was achieved at a fraction of the price of a new ship and about three years sooner.
The Sandwich Plate System (SPS) is enjoying rapid growth in the field of ship repair and conversion. It provides an alternative to stiffened steel and delivers high stiffness to weight ratio, simpler fabrication, improved performance and increased safety. SPS structures such as ships, bridges, sport stadiums, floor systems and blast walls can be designed and produced using industry standard techniques. It is used in a wide variety of newbuild vessel construction and repair applications.
