Elsflether wins battle over special repair

The 53-year old three-masted sail training ship has reported left Kiel’s Lindenau Schiffswerft for Bremerhaven where she was going into a floating dock reserved by the small Elsflether Werft at Bremerhavener Dockbetrieb (Bredo). A source told The Motorship the earliest the ship could arrive in Bremerhaven/Elsfleth was 16 January.

The award of the repair to Elsfleth, which overhauled the bark in 2010, came as a blow to struggling Lindenau. The yard, Germany’s leading tanker newbuilding facility, dry-docked the 81.2m Gorch Fock last October for what was expected to be a five day routine overhaul for the German Navy base in Kiel including zinc anode replacement and hull coating repairs.

However a fuller inspection revealed that more extensive repairs costing more than €1million were needed, reportedly involving extensive replacement of corroded hull plating. A decision on which of the nine suitable German yards to choose for the work had to be referred to Navy HQ in Wilhelmshaven.

Lindenau has been involved in insolvency proceedings since 2008 and is struggling to stay afloat with repair at a time when newbuilding work is scarce. With Gorch Fock already docked and prepped, the yard had clearly hoped she would stay there for the additional repairs. In addition, the ship has taken up valuable docking space since October and there are reports the yard had to turn away other much-needed repair work because of this.

Confirming that Gorch Fock was leaving, a disappointed Lindenau MD Dieter Kuehne told The Motorship the decision was “unfortunate”. He also said “completing the repair by May 10 2012 will now be very difficult (for Elsfleth) because the start of work is being delayed”.