Vechtborg gets a new lease on life

The 1998-built multipurpose vessel Vechtborg has got a new life extension with the completion of its fifth special survey. During a period of maintenance, the 9,000-dwt V-Type multipurpose vessel received a variety of maintenance works and updates on the hull, cargo holds, hatch covers, gantry crane, machinery and systems. The investment ensures the vessel will be operating for at least five more years.

The upgrades and modification for the vessel that was built at Bodewes Shipyards,, were completed at the BLRT shipyards in Tallinn. Here, Wagenborg applied a number of updates and modifications to the Vechtborg, which are related to the sustainability strategy of Wagenborg. With the recent installation of a V-Sat internet communication system on the Vechtborg, the company said it is now able to monitor the improvements of the operational performance for this specific vessel even better.

In addition, Wagenborg implements revised trim tables for various vessel types that can be used to find the optimal trim situation depending on the draft of the vessel. More and more vessels are operating in combinator mode, which brings significant fuel savings when sailing with reduced speed. During the docking period of Vechtborg, the combinator mode hardware and software have been installed. This will contribute to further savings of the vessel’s fuel consumption. A better result than a “B” CII rating can be expected, the company said.

Also, a ballast water treatment unit was installed and commissioned. Even before the legislation came into force Wagenborg installed the first water ballast treatment systems already in 2013. In 2022 the company installed 23 systems on its owned and managed vessels, leading to 73 vessels with a fully operational ballast water treatment system. In 2023, 14 systems will be installed – of which Vechtborg is one of them – whilst 9 systems have been ordered for completion in 2024.

In addition to the updates, the crew, the shipyard, local suppliers and Wagenborg superintendents performed a variety of maintenance and repair works on the 25-year-old vessel.

Both cargo holds have been completely brought into excellent condition. For this, the holds have been fully blasted and coated under the supervision of a paint-manufacturers inspector. To guarantee the weather tightness of the holds, all cargo holds hatches were fully inspected and where required repairs and steel renewals were carried out. On completion, the entire set of rubber sealings was renewed and tested by using ultra-sonic test equipment.

Also, the machinery of the vessel was completely overhauled, inspected and tested. This included the main engine, main bearings, auxiliary engines, bow thruster motor, shaft generator, tail-shaft, tail-shaft bearing and adjustable pitch propellor. In addition, a full scope of thickness measurements of vessel’s main framing and hull was performed. Also, all water-ballast tanks and fuel oil bunker tanks, including the piping systems, were inspected.

Wagenborg always has set high-quality standards for her relatively young fleet of multipurpose vessels: it is all about zero damage, reliability and flexibility for our customers. This focus on quality results in an economic lifetime of at least 30 years and does not create an urge to replace ageing vessels with newer ones, while new propulsion systems and alternative fuels are still unclear in the MPP segment.

By applying innovations and modifications to her existing fleet and maintaining high quality with maintenance and repairs, Wagenborg can extend the lifetime of her existing tonnage even further.

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