Cement carrier capacity upgrade falls to Damen

The three-week stopover for Cebo Marine’s Lelie C included a full survey and a range of repairs and maintenance to prepare the vessel for many more years of reliable service.

“This was a big project,” said 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.

Conversion project

The Lelie C began its life as a general cargo vessel, but now its transformation into a cement carrier is complete.

This latest project of work saw the installation of eight new cement silos, each with a capacity of 40m³.

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. Also, 80-metres of stiffeners were welded into place in the double bottom tanks to provide the necessary support.

Meanwhile, approximately 100m² 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 system for the two existing silos was also refurbished to accommodate the new capacity.