RFA Orangeleaf refit at A&P Tyne

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Orangeleaf arrived at A&P Tyne?s number 4 dock at Wallsend last week for a 68 day refit. Orangeleaf has been a regular visitor to A&P?s Falmouth yard and the refit will peak with over four hundred men per day working on the ship.

The planned scope of work involved in the refit of Orangeleaf is as follows:

Full blasting and painting of the hull, weatherdeck?s and superstructure.

Major engineering work to the main engines and auxiliaries.

An extensive RAS winch overhaul programme.

Extensive renewals to RAS deck pipe work.

Routine survey and repair work throughout the vessel.

Close up inspection work in all the tanks.

This is the second multi-million pound refit won by the yard so far this year, the RFA Fort Austin, is currently in the A&P Tyne Hebburn dock. She has been there since arriving in late January for an extensive five month long refit and life extension programme, and is due to undock early next month.

Orangeleaf was built on Merseyside in 1982 as a commercially operated StaT32 tanker. She was chartered by the MoD in 1982 for utilisation during the Falklands conflict, eventually being taken over and commissioned as a full time RFA Fleet Support Tanker in 1984. The original conversion work, equipping the vessel with RAS (Replenishment at sea) capabilities, was carried out at Wallsend in the mid-eighties. The 40,870 tonne displacement ship carries fuel to and from the MoD bases and has full RAS capabilities to support the Royal Navy fleet during exercises and operations.