Goltens Miami and Goltens new York teamed up in the late spring to successfully perform a 14-ton crankshaft replacement on a bulk carrier’s 100,000-gWT main engine.

In the middle of May, Goltens Miami got the call to perform a crankshaft damage assessment on a 100,000-GWT bulker’s 14-cylinder MAN 52/55 main engine after it suffered a connecting rod bearing failure. A day later, Goltens in-situ specialists were en-route to Alabama with crankshaft cutting tools. The assessment showed severe cracks and hardness in the 400-mm crankpin and Goltens began cutting the damaged area to determine if the crankshaft could be salvaged. Using Goltens’ new single point cutting tools, over 7mm were cut from the crankpin diameter over 2 days and made it clear that the cracks ran too deep to salvage the shaft. The only option remaining was to remove and replace the 14-ton crankshaft. Having done jobs of this scale many times, Goltens was quickly awarded the job, and Goltens Miami Managing Director Vince Rodomista teamed up with 37-year Goltens New York veteran, Managing Director Ivo Sisic, and mobilized a joint Miami/New York team led by Sisic and Miami Operations Manager Paul Pederson that would exceed all expectations.

The delivery and pricing on a new crankshaft proved to be major issues but Goltens had already leveraged its global network to locate a used crankshaft with original-sized crankpins and journals – cutting lead time by 70% and the price by more than half. Laser alignment revealed that the engine also required line boring, and Goltens mobilized tools and technicians to complete this as well. Goltens’ team began the job in June in Mobile, and worked tirelessly in the cramped engine room for almost 60 days in intense heat and humidity. With the new crankshaft installed, and the engine reassembled, realigned and re-chocked by Goltens, dock and sea trials were completed and the heart of the vessel was once again beating. The superintendent then looked forward to reporting back the estimated time of arrival at the next port
 

Goltens Singapore recently carried out the major overhaul of two Sulzer 16ZAV 40s engines for KPs Karadeniz Power from Turkey. The engines, which were successfully overhauled within goltens premises in Singapore, are to be installed on a new diesel power barge currently under construction at a local shipyard.

While Goltens Singapore is no stranger to such overhauls, it isn’t often that they receive such large engines in their workshop.  “Large engine overhauls are routine jobs for our technical staff. The logistics of moving these engines to our workshop by road were critical due to their size and mass,” says Goltens Southeast Asia Sales and Marketing Director Chua Boon Chong. “We transported them by police escort overnight, and once we had them on our premises it was business as usual.”

Goltens Singapore’s diesel team consists of around 100 persons and carries out approximately 400 repair jobs per month. Goltens Singapore engineers and technicians servicing two Sulzer 16ZAV 40S engines

 

Goltens Singapore recently undertook a major welding project for ASL Shipyard in Batam in its workshops for two split hopper barge newbuildings for Dredging International. This most unusual job required around 2000 submerged arc welding hours plus a considerable amount of machining hours.

Approached by the shipowner and shipyard to provide support on the welding and machining of deck hinge forks and hydraulic cylinder hinges, Goltens was sought out due to their international reputation for achieving high outputs in tight timeframes.

“It was satisfying to be approached for such a project and that our welding team got an additional opportunity to show off their skills and adaptability on this job. It was indeed a welcome departure from the routine welding of piston crowns that is the bread and butter of the department. We made special jigs and production aids to speed up the process and all have worked very well,” says Goltens Southeast Asia Managing Director Tom Boyle.

Project challenges included getting welding procedures approved with the classification society and then the welding of huge butts on steel up to 150-mm thick. “It’s a different type of job from normal, but the challenge is still the same. It’s all about getting the work done as quickly as possible while maintaining the highest quality standards. This is part and parcel for Goltens and has been for almost seventy years,” Boyle says.
 

Norwegian company NOAH treats inorganic hazardous waste and contaminated soil in the Oslo Fjord, stabilising all waste material before depositing it below sea level in a former limestone quarry. When it recently purchased a 70-tonne rock mill, the company experienced heavily damaged bearings upon startup. In came Goltens Oslo to help them get production underway.

A leader in hazardous waste handling, NOAH was in the midst of installing more equipment to make granulates in order to stabilise certain materials. Their most recent purchase was the aforementioned rock mill – a second-hand piece of machinery that had been out of service for an extended period.

During initial startup NOAH experienced a rapid decrease in grease oil pressure. A filter inspection revealed clogged oil filters, while a more thorough inspection and analysis of the oil indicated heavily damaged bearings. With its well-known reputation for the repair, reconditioning and renewal of heavy shafts and bearings, Goltens Oslo was called to the scene to sort out the problems. Goltens technicians removed the top of the split bearings,revealing a heavily damaged shaft and bearings on both sides. It became clear that both the bearings and shaft had to be partially processed to in order to make them operational again.


 

A Port au Prince, Haiti brewery is not what people think of when envisioning a typical Goltens customer. However, the recent line boring job completed by Goltens California there reflects recent in-situ technology investments and the growing awareness of Goltens’ specialised capabilities beyond the marine and offshore markets.

After completing the onsite laser inspection of the engine block to determine the extent of damage and recommended action, Goltens California deployed In-Situ Supervisor Gary Bowman and Field Machinist Nick Zaharia to Haiti to line bore the engine and restore it to operational condition. The block inspection determined two main bearing pockets were out of specification and, due to the urgency of the project and the long delivery time for oversized bearings, an alternative repair route involving fitting of sleeves was proposed and accepted by the customer.

Goltens California carried out the complete job from start to finish – including laser inspection, the making of the sleeves, boring two oversized pockets, fitting of the sleeves into pockets and final line boring of the engine block back to its original size. “While marine and offshore customers are still our main clients, more and more land-based industries rely on Goltens for our specialised repair capabilities,” says Goltens California Managing Director Cato Espero.
 

The work required immediate mobilisation to supply a special, LR-approved high-tensile steel plate and cut/shape it prior to the vessel’s arrival in order to save time. The crane manufacturer’s drawings were obtained to ensure that exact dimensions and welding details were available prior to the first cut.

As soon as the affected crane’s hold was discharged, staging was erected and work began. Preliminary work involved structural support of the 30-metre jib along with cross bracing to maintain exact alignment. Goltens’ ship fitters, riggers and certified welders tackled the task and worked diligently to complete the project.

Upon completion, ultrasonic testing was performed to ensure that welding was carried out to manufacturer and class requirements. The final operation was a 35-ton full load test employing a water test bag and certified meter to confirm proper loading
 

Goltens Dubai took on an EPIC (engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning) contract for FPSOcean’s Deep Producer 1 vessel at Goltens’ yard and Dubai Drydocks last spring, and finished it with glowing results a little over two months later.

With its Engine, Electrical and Fabrication departments working around the clock, Goltens completed the entire design, prefabrication, outfitting and  commissioning of a complete containerized emergency generator in an impressive 67 days.

The project included the fabrication of two enclosures – one for the emergency generator (8.5 m x 2.8 m x 3.5 m) and the second for the emergency generator control panels (8.5 m x 2.6 m x 3.5 m).

Emergency module containers were fabricated according to client specification and DNV regulations, and all accessories – including engines required for emergency operations – were installed well ahead of schedule. The switchboard enclosures contained switchboards used to operate the  emergency generator during emergency.

The HVAC system intended to keep the  module running during emergency and the radiators required to cool the engine were also supplied by Goltens with time to spare.

After installation of all equipment, a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) was conducted to the complete satisfaction of the customer and the class. The modules were finally delivered to the vessel at Dubai Drydocks in early June.
 

With its recent overhaul of two electrical hydraulic Aker deck cranes with 40-ton load capacity, Goltens Singapore’s hydraulic department has proven its capability and expertise once again in one of the branch’s largest projects of 2008.

The work on the Aban Pearl semi-submersible drilling unit’s two booms – which together total 120 feet in length – was carried out simultaneously, while the rig was undergoing major refurbishment works at Keppel Shipyard in Singapore. The rig was originally built at Keppel in 1977.

Both cranes were completely overhauled and commissioned under the strict watchful eyes of the classification society and the owners within the given timeframe. Over the past few years, Goltens Singapore has grown its hydraulics expertise and the department is now fully booked on a variety of marine and offshore projects. Two similar projects for Mermaid Offshore and Chevron were also executed in 2008 with satisfactory results.

“We are delighted with the performance of our hydraulic department and the growth in orders during 2008. We have added additional expert resources to the team and will continue to grow our capabilities and capacity in this regard,” says Goltens Southeast Asia Managing Director Tom Boyle.
 

Goltens Dubai has completed two large projects of late for CGGVeritas, the world’s leading international pure-play geophysical company. These include a 12-week turnkey installation and fabrication job for a seismic newbuild and a main engine and steel repair for its Orion seismic vessel.

Goltens Dubai’s project management and comprehensive installation and fabrication capabilities ensured turnkey success on CGGVeritas’ Astrolabe seismic vessel newbuild project.

Orion on the mend
After the Orion had a breakdown of the main engine in April, further analysis found that the engine block was beyond repair and needed replacing. Goltens Dubai arranged for a wet docking of the vessel at Dubai Maritime City, and mobilised a team of welders, cutters, mechanics, riggers and electricians to make access for the removal of the engine block from the engine room. Assisted by the Pon Power (CAT) superintendant, Goltens diesel mechanics completely stripped the existing engine in the engine room. The damaged engine block was then shifted out of the vessel and brought up to the Goltens workshop, while the new Caterpillar engine block was boxed up in the engine room by the Goltens diesel team.

“We completed the work for these two projects on time and to client satisfaction, helping to maintain our close relationship with CGGVeritas.” says Goltens Dubai Managing Director Gunnar Haug.
 

The 2 ˝-year old Panamax tanker was roughly two weeks from reaching Los Angeles when the technical department contacted Goltens California to assist in the inspection and repair of a 15-mm crack found on the rudder during a routine underwater hull inspection carried out in a previous port. Less than three days after work commenced, the job was completed according to plan and to the total satisfaction of the shipowner.

Utilising multiple shifts around the clock to the get the ship repaired, the projected was executed according to the original plan and scope in under three days, and was thereafter class approved. “We have always had success with Goltens,” notes the shipowner’s Technical Director. “They took care of everything required and delivered on time as planned and with a significant focus on quality and safety.”