It’s been another month of relentless service, as we go above and beyond to support our worldwide customer base. Over in Africa, our team were in high demand, with workshop propeller repairs and service attendances around the West Coast of Africa. Meanwhile, in the UK, our service engineers were carrying out critical repairs in the workshop and around Europe.
Propeller Shaft Seal and Liner Exchange
On home soil, our engineer was down south where he was tasked with the exchange of the propeller shaft seals and liners. The unit was a SCHOTTEL STP 550, where the shaft seals and liners on both port and starboard were replaced. Upon inspection, we found that the upper gearbox input shaft seals and liners were leaking. The job was carried out and tested within the working week, resulting in another swift service attendance.
Lagersmit Seals Retrofit
Earlier in the month, our seals’ engineer attended a cargo vessel in Bremerhaven, Germany, to retrofit the Aft seal to the Lagersmit Supreme Ventus system. The existing Aft seal was removed, and a new installation, including a machined liner to suit the propeller shaft, was fitted.
Tailshaft and OD Box Overhaul
Our South African engineers were in Roberston Dock, Cape Town to overhaul the tail shaft and OD box of this trawler. We removed the tail shaft and transported it to our facility where we got to work on the strip down and rebuild. Our team worked around the clock to ensure that they met the scheduled deadline.
5-Year Overhaul
As part of another busy month in Africa, our team in Walvis Bay were tasked with a 5-year maintenance overhaul. Our engineers were working on these SCHOTTEL tunnel thrusters including a blade repair. The blades, hub and OD box was removed and shipped to be repaired at our nearby facility. Back at the vessel, our engineers re-built the unit and fitted new seals and liner. To conclude, we fitted the propeller blades and carried out all the necessary checks.
Propeller Repair in Cape Town
At our propeller workshop in Cape Town, our team of skilled technicians were tasked with repairing a sizeable crack on this blade. The damage, measured at over 200mm long and 25mm deep, required a thorough welding procedure. Once we had repaired the crack, the grinding commenced before testing and polishing the blade to finish.
Job Vacancies at SMS Inverkeithing
We are still looking for the right candidates to bolster our team in the UK.
We have various roles available, follow the links below to apply: