[BITList] MV LOCH SEAFORTH

[Michael Feltham]

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Loch Seaforth technical problems. 
Ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne does not deny there are vibration problems with one of the engines on their new vessel, LOCH SEAFORTH. Maritime sources say that when the ship goes astern, there is a thrust problem because of an issue with her variable pitch propellers not delivering the performance expected. The issue is said to be causing difficulty manoeuvring into berths. There is now also concern that one of the engines from the Wärtsilä yard in Finland is not the same age as the other. A source explained: “It is normal practice to expect two engines built for a vessel to have consecutive serial numbers. They are not even close. The suspicion is that one engine is much older than the other and may even have been rejected by the owner of another vessel.” It is also claimed that one of the engines has had to be stripped down already due to the main bearings in the bottom of the crankcase burning out. Another issue causing concern is the vessel’s rolling motion which is in excess of what was expected from the tank tests on the model hull. “When running, the off-duty crew sleep experience is said to be poor. With plans to operate the vessel 24 hours a day with 1.5 crews, if the off-duty crews are not sleeping as they should then fatigue issues are going to arise,” said the source. Asked about the claims, the state-owned ferry company in Gourock did not deny any of these claims but insisted that any new ship which brings together a host of highly sophisticated technologies will present challenges as it prepares to enter service.Its spokesman said: “We are currently putting the ship through extensive trials and building crew familiarity with the onboard systems, and are working with CMAL, who managed the build, along with key suppliers, to address any issues as they arise.“Experience with other new vessels shows that the real test of her capabilities will begin in earnest when she has entered service, but we are confident that any issues we encounter as operator can be satisfactorily resolved.” Source: Maciver blog. (Stornoway) 
_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.bcn.mythic-beasts.com/pipermail/bitlist/attachments/20150201/2031d9af/attachment.html>