Type of project: 

• Remove and replace the damaged Veth bow thruster, which has seawater ingress

Customer name: Fleet Operator for an Aquaculture vessel.

Location: Peterhead, Scotland

Initial enquiry: Our team was asked to attend to the vessel to remove and replace the Veth unit after they noticed their bow thruster was leaking oil.

Project description:

The project started with the client emailing our Marine Sales & Product Manager, Keith Stevenson, to enquire about whether we could help fix the problem with their bow thruster.

After some initial meetings to ascertain the scale of the job, our engineers attended the vessel whilst it was out of the water for maintenance at Peterhead, Scotland.

Upon removing the motor, the engineers noticed heavy corrosion on the Veth leg, which had created a hole, allowing seawater into the Veth unit and pipework – which poured our when the blades were removed.

Those factors meant that when the new Veth unit was reinstalled, anti-fowl paint was added to give it extra corrosion protection. The team also installed new pipework and flushed the header tank with oil to remove any traces of seawater.

The Veth output shaft was then checked to ensure it was central to the tunnel, and the blades were refitted with good clearance and no fowling.

The project’s final stages involved placing the unit back into the tunnel and checking the levelness in relation to the motor. This was proven to be up to standard, so the motor was reinstalled, the pipework was plumbed up, and the header tank was filled with oil.

Unfortunately, a full run-up couldn’t be completed for this project due to power restraints and the vessel being out on the water. However, our team fired up the system for as long as they could, and it ran smoothly.

Our work on this project showcases our commitment to excellence, precision, and collaboration. We ensured the reliability and safety of the vessel, which helped reduce the amount of downtime needed.

We sincerely appreciate the trust our valued customers have placed in us and look forward to future opportunities to serve the maritime industry.