Recently, the thoroughly refurbished “HAFNIA CATERINA” set sail smoothly from Pier 6 of COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry (Shanghai) and headed for its next voyage. This repair task involved key components of multiple systems such as deck piping, tank cleaning equipment, cargo pumps, and the main engine. The general management team of COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry (Shanghai) adhered to the core objectives of ensuring the sailing schedule and accelerating progress, efficiently and high-quality advancing all repair works, initiating a precise and intense ship repair campaign.
After the HAFNIA CATERINA docked at the yard, the deck area repairs immediately entered a high-intensity work state. Addressing the widespread aging of the deck piping supports on this vessel, the mechanical and electrical (M&E) superintendent led the construction team to perform precise measurements on each support, leveraging their extensive experience and superb skills. Simultaneously, they adopted a work mode of “workshop prefabrication + onboard old removal” carried out in parallel, significantly compressing the construction period. The renewal of all deck piping supports was completed with high quality in just 12 days, laying a solid foundation for subsequent deck system repairs.
During the tank cleaning equipment repair phase, the in-depth overhaul of 27 tank cleaning machines was carried out concurrently with the deck piping repairs. The maintenance team from the M&E workshop closely cooperated with the owner’s service engineers, disassembling the core components of each tank cleaning machine one by one, comprehensively replacing severely worn seals and nozzles, and performing thorough cleaning, lubrication, and performance calibration of the equipment’s transmission systems. After rigorous testing, the water output pressure and rotation angle of all tank cleaning machines accurately met the operational standards, providing reliable equipment assurance for the vessel’s subsequent cargo hold cleaning operations.
Cargo pump repair was a critical part of this task, for which the general management team planned ahead and proactively coordinated. On one hand, they actively contacted the owner’s service engineers to jointly finalize the detailed repair plan, clarifying the cargo pump hoisting path and placement position. On the other hand, they organized technical personnel to review equipment drawings in advance and familiarize themselves with the repair procedures, ensuring the repair work “followed established guidelines and progressed efficiently.” During the actual operation, the general management team worked closely with the service provider, successfully completing component inspection, fault localization, and precision assembly, effectively shortening the operation time, and ultimately achieving “dual compliance in both efficiency and quality” for the cargo pump repair.
In this repair task, the main engine cylinder lifting in the engine room was considered the “toughest challenge.” When the cylinder heads and pistons were disassembled and sent to the workshop for further breakdown, technicians discovered burrs on the contact surfaces between the piston rods and piston heads, with similar issues found on the connecting screws. The shipowner immediately contacted the manufacturer for repairs and urgently ordered new screws. The delayed delivery of the new screw spare parts posed significant pressure on the main engine repair and the dock exit sea trial schedule.
Facing this unexpected situation, the M&E workshop quickly adjusted the construction plan, rationally divided the main engine repair team into groups, and initiated an emergency work mode. Once the new screw spare parts arrived, the repair team immediately commenced assembly and pressure testing, followed by efficiently completing the hoisting onboard and installation. After stringent testing, the main engine, upon reassembly, showed no leaks during the water pressure and oil pressure tests, and the main engine trial run was successfully passed in one attempt. This not only safeguarded the vessel’s dock exit sea trial schedule but also ensured the HAFNIA CATERINA met the conditions for sailing on time.
The successful completion of the HAFNIA CATERINA repair task not only overcame multiple challenges such as simultaneous multi-system repairs and delayed spare parts but also fully demonstrated the operational spirit of COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry (Shanghai) in “racing against time to accelerate progress and striving for excellence to ensure quality.” While ensuring the vessel’s on-time departure and reducing operational losses for the shipowner, it further highlighted COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry (Shanghai)’s strong technical prowess and efficient emergency support capabilities in the field of ship repair. This has accumulated valuable experience for undertaking similar high-difficulty ship repair tasks in the future, further driving the company’s high-quality development, and fully building a flagship green, low-carbon, and intelligent ship and offshore engineering repair and conversion yard!
