Monthly Roundup | October

From carrying out essential service support for the UK’s largest ferry operators to working on routine repairs around Africa, Asia and Europe, it’s been another productive month for the SMS team.

Lagersmit Retrofit in Seville

Our seals’ engineer was in Seville to install and commission a retrofit Lagersmit Ventus system. The original simplex seal was removed, and upon the arrival of the Lagersmit spares, we got to work on fitting the new system. With that in place, we then installed and wired up the new parts. Lastly, we checked for any faults and concluded another swift and successful service attendance in partnership with Lagersmit.

SMS Providing Ongoing Support for CalMac

As part of our ongoing service agreement, we continue to provide critical spare parts and emergency service support for a considerable proportion of the CalMac fleet. The SMS team has recently carried out essential service and repair works on a trio of CalMac vessels, the Loch Nevis, Coruisk and Argyle.

The latest vessel to dock and undergo maintenance was the Loch Nevis. The ferry, which runs from Mallaig, serves the small isles of Canna, Eigg, Muck, and Rum. It carries up to 190 passengers and multiple vehicles, providing an essential service to those small island communities.

Therefore, the SMS engineers were required to remove the existing thruster and exchange it with a replacement held in storage, dramatically reducing the vessel operational downtime. The SMS engineers cut an access hatch in the deck for the old thruster to be removed and transported back to their workshop in Inverkeithing. With the removal complete, the replacement SCHOTTEL azimuth thruster was fitted.

New Storage Solution

Meet our impressive seven-metre high storage tower, a new addition to our workshop in Inverkeithing.

It will be used to manage critical spare parts, both big and small, whilst complementing our service work supplying the OEM spare parts needed to complete propeller, shaft line and steering gear overhauls. As a forward-thinking company, this new addition to the workshop embraces technology to utilise service capabilities. Workshop Engineering Manager Alex Cowan, has been the early adopter of the storage unit.

“He mentioned, it’s a compelling piece of equipment and one that has changed the way we operate in the workshop. The way we manage and control our stock and spare parts has changed for the better and makes our job that little bit easier.

Thruster Overhaul in Turkey

Our African-based service engineer was recently in Turkey at the Tersan shipyard to overhaul the stern shaft and carry out a gearcase exchange of this Maersk container ship fitted with Kawasaki thrusters.

The stern and bow thrusters were swiftly removed and transported to the workshop to be stripped and overhauled. In the workshop, the stern input shaft was fitted into the new housing. Both units were then cleaned and re-built before being shipped back to the vessel. With the units installed, we fitted the blades to complete another successful service attendance.

5-Year Kawasaki Overhaul

From Turkey to Qatar, our engineers were on the move once again.

Next up was a 5-year overhaul of a Kawasaki thruster at Nkom dry dock. We were informed about the issues with the thruster upon arrival, and we wasted no time removing the marine growth from the tunnel and thruster. The unit was then transported to the workshop, where it was stripped and cleaned. With the seal box and liner removed, they were then machined, skimmed and polished. Finally, we rebuilt the unit, and it was shipped back to the vessel to be re-installed.

Job Vacancies at SMS Inverkeithing

We are still looking for the right candidates to bolster our team in the UK.

There are various roles available; follow the links below to apply:

CAN WE HELP?

Contact our specialised team today to find out more about any of the services we offer.

OUR SERVICE TEAM ARE HERE TO HELP