DAMEN COMPLETES MAINTENANCE FOR FALLPIPE VESSEL FLINTSTONE

On 18 April 2016 the fallpipe vessel Flintstone departed Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam, part of Damen Shiprepair & Conversion, following a six-week programme of maintenance and repairs together with her first Special Survey.

Owned and operated by the Tideway group of companies, a division of the Belgian dredging, environmental and marine engineering group DEME, the 155m 20,000-tonne DP2 Flintstone is the flagship of the Tideway fleet. Her equipment includes an active heave compensated ROV with state-of-the-art survey equipment and a 200 kW mass flow excavation tool for the removal of seabed materials.

Flintstone underwent a comprehensive programme of maintenance, surveys and testing in the run-up to her Special Survey, spending a total of 28 days in drydock at Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam (DSAm).

Of the many activities that took place, the most complex with regard to the vessel itself was the refurbishment of the moon pool doors. These were lowered and supported on the floor of the drydock in order to undergo extensive maintenance, including the replacement of the main bearings. The unexpected and large scale of the machining work required made this a very challenging job to carry out within the original time allowed.

Other activities included the overhaul of all the thrusters together with the forward anchor winches and a wide range of other tasks relating to the water lines, fall pipes, ROV transport and storage, and other equipment.