July proved to be another busy month for the SMS team. As overseas travel begins to open up, our engineers and controls technicians in the UK and Africa were back on the move attending service jobs from gearbox removals to propeller repairs.
SMS HQ
The month of July brought us a day of sunshine, so we decided to take this beautiful shot overlooking our workshop facility in Inverkeithing as evidence. Our strategically located facility pictured is the base for our skilled engineers and technicians to carry out the repairs and overhauls of critical marine assets.
Quick Turnaround
One of our service jobs this month required our engineers to attend a vessel to remove the upper gearbox and bring the unit back to our workshop in Inverkeithing.
Upon arrival at our workshop, we inspected the unit to find slight damage on the input gear and more excessive damage to the bearings. We then removed the output shaft which disclosed cracks and damage on the gear and bearings. After revealing the extent of the damage, we carried out the NDT inspection and ordered the spare parts from SCHOTTEL. When the spares arrived, we pieced the unit together and loaded the gearbox into our van and travelled south.
As we arrived back at the dock, we used the crane to transfer the gearbox to deck and sling into the engine room. Once we fitted and statically tested the unit, the vessel went out for seal trials, using the thruster to its full capacity with no issues.
SMS Controls Technicians back on the move, again.
As travel opens up further afield, we saw one of our controls engineers head to Bulgaria for an inspection on a Kawasaki bow thruster. The vessel was in dry dock; therefore, an oil change, inspection and NDT of the propeller blades was carried out. Once the vessel was floating a full control system and health check was completed.
Back in the UK, we had engineers as far north as Fraserburgh and as far South as Plymouth as vessels dockings become rescheduled, and shipyards begin to open up again. Our first stop was in Southampton, where we replaced a controls board on a Nakashima bow thruster. We then headed further south to Plymouth, where we were tasked with attending a Landing Craft for controls and mechanical inspection. Finally, on the last leg of our journey, we were in the City of Liverpool for sea trials on one of the Royal Navy RFA vessels.
African Propeller Repair
Our team of skilled African service engineers and propeller technicians were in attendance at dry dock in Walvis Bay, Namibia this month. The job scope included a seal change and calibration on two SCHOTTEL STT 003 FP units. We were also tasked with the repair of four FPP’s, which is illustrated by the images below:
Seals Overhaul
Our engineers were called upon for various seals attendances this month, one of which was in Falmouth. In this case, our engineer carried out the overhaul in situ. After an oil analysis, the vessel showed water content exceeding 5 percent. Therefore, it was due to arrive at dry dock to replace the AFT seals and for a distance piece so the new seals run on an unblemished part of the liner. The job was completed within the scheduled timeline resulting in minimum downtime for the vessel owner.
We are Hiring…
This month we reached out to the local community and surrounding areas for talented apprentices to join our team at our HQ in Inverkeithing, Scotland. An apprenticeship with Stone Marine Services will provide a platform consisting of tailored learning and development. In return, we are looking for career-focused individuals who are keen to enter the world of work while continuing to learn and develop their skills. Our apprenticeships are a fantastic way to earn an attractive salary and gain valuable work experience.
Interested? Follow the link and apply for our Marine Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeship.