Gibdock demonstrates its RO/RO sector skills

Tangara in dry dock at Gibdock

JULY 20, 2017 — Gibraltar ship repairer Gibdock has demonstated its expertise and capabilities in the RO/RO cargo vessel sector by carrying out an extensive package of work on the 12,049 dwt, 160 m long ConRO, MN Tangara

Owned by Compagnie Maritime Nantaise (CMN), the 2013-built, French flagged vessel was docked at Gibdock for a 12-day program of works in June and July, with the client stressing there was no scope for delay in redelivery.

“CMN told us the date for departure was crucial, as there was no spare time in the ship’s schedule,” says Filip Tsankov, ship repair manager. “We were able to finish a significant quantity of work, carrying out multiple tasks in parallel with each other, to ensure that MN Tangara left Gibraltar exactly on time and to the client’s satisfaction.”

The vessel entered dry dock on June 24 and left July 6, allowing the ship to sail from Gibraltar the following day.

During its time in the shipyard, MN Tangara required an extensive amount of painting, extending over most areas of the vessel, including the hull, superstructure, stack, crane and free-fall davits.

In total, a surface area of 12,300 sq.m was painted by Gibdock’s repair teams over an 11-day period.

Propulsion works were performed simultaneously with the hull painting, and the 18 electric motor rotors were also overhauled and rebalanced while the vessel was in dock. Other work included the renewal of stern tube seals by in-situ bonding; the overhaul of sea and overboard valves; repairs to piping and system valves; the renewal of pipe insulation materials; and safety valve testing.

In addition, Gibdock overhauled most of the car deck ventilation fans, cleaned and inspected four electrical generators and undertook various electrical repairs.

This was the first time that MN Tangara had visited the yard, and only the second occasion that CMN had used Gibdock’s dry dock services.

Mr. Tsankov says: “We worked well with what is a fairly new customer for us, to ensure its needs were fully met, and were able to demonstrate that we can carry out a large amount of work to a high standard, within a quite demanding time frame. We have built up good cooperation with CMN on this project and hope to welcome them back as a customer soon.”