Daewoo replaces midbody

Major repairs to container vessel

Aconcagua

, now

CSAV Shanghai

, have been completed at Daewoo Heavy Industries Okpo yard.

The 195m loa, 2,171 TEU container vessel Aconcagua sustained extensive damage to the midbody section when fire broke out near the Panama canal last December. As the ship was less than one year old, the decision was taken to renew the midbody over holds 3-5. The repair contract was placed with Daewoo by Columbia Shipmanagement, and at just over $10 million is said to be the largest ever undertaken by the yard’s repair and conversion division. Columbia specifically chose an experienced newbuilding yard, as opposed to a dedicated repair yard, for the ability to produce a new section quickly and economically.

Prefabrication of the new 82 x 32.2m midbody started at Okpo while the ship was under tow to Korea. It arrived on May.

The repair procedure adopted by the yard was similar in many ways to a lengthening, but in this case the ship stayed at its original length.

Using two docks Daewoo were able to complete the job very quickly.

CSAV Shanghai was placed in one of the Okpo floating docks, where the forebody was cut away from the damaged section. The stern/midbody was then floated out and moved into another dock. Here, the damaged section was cut away from the stern, which was left on the blocks while the damaged midbody was floated out using cofferdams and removed.

Meanwhile, the new midbody was being joined to the forebody in the floating dock. When this operation was complete the new midbody/forebody section was floated out, and into the other dock for welding to the stern.

The whole job took about 110 days including prefabrication, and the ship was redelivered on July 3. Columbia Shipmanagement were very impressed with the speed and with the way the repair was completed. “They did an excellent job. It was very professional, and I would really recommend the yard,” says Eddie Bucknall, fleet manager.