Small yard tackles another ferry engine swap

The conversion of the 42.2m long and 10m wide inter-island ferry Langeoog 1V, a regular visitor and one built by Diedrich more than 30 years ago, was due for completion mid April.

The ship, which draws just 1.33m and will carry 800 passengers, arrived at Diedrich in early January after also calling last September for bow thruster repairs.

In addition to routine annual repair and maintenance, the work this time also covered bow thruster and rudder work as well as equipment maintenance and heating system inspection. The ferry also got new below surface coating and renewed conservation in areas affected by the engine exchange. Reports said the job, including engine swap, cost around €1.1m.

The engine work involved the removal of the ship’s old MWM diesels, one TBD 602 V 12S and one TBD 602 V 12K, with a total power of 1,068kW to provide 12 knots. They were replaced by two new Mitsubishi units of type S12A2-Z3 MPTA W-3, each of 701kW at 1,900 rpm.

To get the old new engine plant out of the ship and the new units in, the funnel assembly was removed at the top of the engine shaft and remounted when the work was done. Ten years ago Diedrich carried out similar re-engining on sister ship Langeroog 111.

The Langeroog 1V job also covered the installation of two Reintjes gears of type WAF 444L 2.962:1, a joint muffler for both main engines and a muffler for the ship’s existing Sisu on-board power supply generator. Also installed were new on-board auxiliaries: a Scania diesel of type Dl 13-075M for the bow thruster and power supply, a Leroy Summer generator of type LSAM 47.2.55 375/475kVA 400/500V 50/60 Hz, a Sisu 74 DTAG marine diesel auxiliary, and a Leroy Summer generator of type 46-2 M3, 165kVA 400V 50 Hz.

The re-engining followed the three month overhaul and conversion at Diedrich of the 36.3m FRISIA X. That job included engine overhaul but not the replacement of the two Volvo Penta main engines.

In mid-2012 the yard re-engined the 32m long ferry Baltrum 111 as part of a major conversion, installing two new Scania main diesels of type D1-12-59, replacing old KHD engines.

A string of small passenger ships, among them three more Langeoog ferries, were booked into the yard up to spring of this year for regular repair and maintenance, including thrusters, rudders, propellers and engines. Among the vessels already dealt with this year have been the 20m police patrol boat W 4 and the 45.65m island Ro-Ro/landing craft Harle Gatt, which underwent repairs including rudder replacement after grounding.

By Tom Todd