Cement carrier goes back to work with added silo capacity

Lelie C in dry dock at Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf

JANUARY 10, 2018 — A cement carrier that started life as a general cargo vessel is back in service with a significantly increased cargo capacity after a three week visit to Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf in the Netherlands.

Two years after a previous visit, the vessel, the Lelie C, owned by Cebo Marine, left the shipyard following a full maintenance program and a significant upgrade to its cement carrying capacity.

The three-week stopover included a full survey and a range of repairs and maintenance to prepare her for more years of reliable service. These works included fitting a new fuel filter system, renewing the hydraulic pipes for the hatch crane, and repairing the propeller while at the same time replacing the seals and liner for its shaft and changing the shaft seals for the bow thruster. The hull and topsides also received a fresh coat of paint.

The main project, however, was the installation of eight new cement silos, each with a capacity of 40 cu.m. These tanks were previously fitted on the VOS Symphony, another regular visitor to Oranjewerf, prior to it going for scrap.

Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf removed the tanks, refurbished them and then installed them on board the Lelie C. Prior to their installation, Oranjewerf fabricated a silo foundation and fitted it in the vessel’s hold. 80 m of stiffeners were also welded into place in the double bottom tanks to provide the necessary support.

Meanwhile, approximately 100 sq. m of grating walkway was fabricated and fitted on the deck to give access to the manifolds on each of the new silos. The supply/discharge and air pipe systems for the two existing silos were also refurbished to accommodate the new capacity.

“This was a big project,” commented Jeen van der Werf, Commercial Manager at Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf. “Two years ago we installed the original tanks from the Ritske, a vessel belonging to the same client, and now we have repeated the process again, this time on a much larger scale. The Lelie C began her life as a general cargo vessel, but now her transformation into a cement carrier is complete.”