Searoad Tamar underwent an intermediate dry docking at the Forgacs Engineering floating dock in Newcastle over a 13 day period in December and January.
The Searoad Tamar in Drydock
Captain Richard Gordon and the team of Searoad Tamar departed Devonport on 24 December arriving at Newcastle on 27 December at 0500 hours. The vessel was safely in dock at 0900 hours on 27 December.
Entry into the dock is a complex manoeuvre with a series of docking blocks fixed to the floating dock which is then partially submerged and the vessel positioned correctly above the blocks and then the dock is refloated lifting the ship clear of the water.
The tasks undertaken at dry docking consist of everything that cannot be done while the ship is in the water. This includes reinstatement of all hull coatings (paint), stern shaft seal replacement, certain surveys, replacement of sacrificial anodes along with overhaul of sea valves etc.
In the case of this dry docking we were required to undertake a hull thickness test of the shell plate, some planned and unplanned repairs to the rudders along with significant repairs to the ships bow propeller unit.
All deck and engineer officers along with ratings and caterers lived aboard the ship for the duration of the docking and contributed significantly to the successful outcome.
The catering team kept the galley and accommodation ticking over while the integrated ratings attended to items of general maintenance and undertook extensive tank tasks.
Engineering staff attended to all mechanical matters along with the unexpected “extras” that inevitably jump up and bite you in a drydock.
Chas Kelly & Jacqui Jennings inspect the hull of the Tamar
Not the least of which at this docking was extra work on the rudders
and a very “sick” bow thruster.
Deck officers dealt with the deck and navigation side of the dry docking along with port and general management matters.
The docking was overseen by our ship management personnel which involves the normal robust discussions on how we can get the contractors to do as much as possible in the shortest period of time. Not forgetting all of this at the lowest cost. As always tends to happen, generally with a good deal of pushing, all tasks came to a common conclusion and the ship slipped out of dock early morning on 10 January and cleared the port of Newcastle hopefully not to need the services of a dry dock for another 3 years. After a brief stop at Sydney to take on fuel, the ship returned to Devonport early in the morning of 12 January and loaded cargo for Melbourne.
The Master Capt Richard Gordon, Chief Engineer Greg Jenkins, Ship Manager Graeme Coster and all of the ships personnel along with ship management staff are to be complimented on the successful completion of a difficult task. We have become accustomed to docking our ships in a business like manner with all involved displaying a high level of professionalism.
Searoad Tamar is back in service plying Bass Strait and looking pretty good.