28 November 2014
Like any commercial vessel, Shoreham Port’s tug boat ‘Adurni’ has an annual inspection and survey in order to meet the standards set out under the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) small vessel code.
During the Adurni’s last inspection in August this year, it was found that the wear on her propeller shafts was significant enough to require a replacement. This procedure is usually carried out every five years, depending on their condition, due to the volume and nature of the bed levelling work that she carries out.
The new shafts and bearings had to be made to order by Dutch shipyard company IHC Merwede at Sliedrecht in Holland. At 4m long and a diameter of 120cm, fitted with 1.3m propellers inside Quart nozzles, the shafts are driven by two GM ‘V’ 12 diesel engines via two 4.5:1 reduction twin disc gearboxes, providing the tug with up to 10 tons of bollard pull through the water.
The Adurni has now gone into the Port’s dry dock facility for this work to be carried out. Once this has been completed she will be ready to take on the busy schedule of work lined up for her this winter.
James Gray, Assistant Harbour Master/Marine Works at Shoreham Port commented “Seabed levelling is a modern day dredging technique used in many ports and harbours. It is a vital part of the work that we carry out around the harbour and therefore we place great importance on the maintenance of the tug to ensure she is working efficiently.”
James continued “We are extremely fortunate that we have the dry dock to use as an excellent facility to carry out maintenance work on our port vessels. This versatile facility enables us to make speedy repairs and keep our fleet in ‘tip top’ working order.”
