Repairs and conversions

Shipyards not only build ocean-going vessels but also carry out maintenance and repair work. Some even specialise only in these operations. Daily operations at sea expose vessels to high levels of stress and strain, often resulting in damage, the most frequent being cracks frequent being cracks in welding seams or mechanical damage like dents or corrosion. Damage to the engines and steering gear is also possible.

In order to ensure the highest possible level of safety, the technical condition of ocean-going vessels is regularly examined in a survey carried out by classification societies – the maritime MOT. If the vessel passes this survey, its class is renewed, giving official confirmation that the vessel is in compliance with the society's classification rules and building regulations.

Besides repairs, conversions are also carried out in shipyards. Developments on the international shipping market and technical advances often make it necessary to increase a ship's size – i.e. length – or speed. Or to completely convert a vessel for a new purpose, e.g. to convert a bulk carrier into a livestock transporter or a ro-ro (roll-on-roll-off) ferry into a cruise liner.

Loss example: Fire on the Cala Palma

The Cala Palma was one of those vessels that needed to be extended. The plan was to add about 15 m to the length of this 13,346-GT refrigerated vessel, built in 2000, and increase it to 190 m. While it was docked at Bremerhaven in the summer of 2006, the vessel was cut into two and a new middle section fitted. The work was just being completed when, on 8 August, fire broke out: though ordinarily of low flammability, the material insulating the refrigerated cargo holds apparently caught fire.

The temperature in the holds had reached several hundred degrees centigrade, and flames were eating their way through the ship. As the heat would have melted the soles of the their boots and the visors on their helmets, all the firefighters could do was pump fire-fighting foam into the holds and cool the ship’s sides from the outside with water. Although more than 40 firefighters were in action, it took them two days to get the fire under control. They succeeded in averting a total loss – but the damage is still estimated to be in the two-digit million range.

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