Shake Dog wags new tail

A London-based multicat has been fitted with a new crane as part of major refit.

The 19.1m x 8.3m multi cat Shake Dog, owned and operated by Capital Pleasure Boats of London (CPBS), has returned to service after drydocking for a major refit at Thames Craft floating dock in Greenwich.

During the works a new TMC 680-5 (68t/m) crane was fitted to replace the existing crane along with a new hydraulic pump. At the same time the shafts were drawn and inspected, the hull and deck were shot blasted and painted, a full ultrasonic survey was undertaken, a new galley fitted, accommodation for three crew upgraded and various smaller jobs carried out. In addition, an out of water MCA survey was conducted by Paul Johnson of Euro Marine Surveys,

Straight from the dock the vessel went to work supporting South Bucks Diving Services fitting a de-watering cap at Barking Power Station. This was followed by a round-the-clock contract with UMC International working at Shell House near the London Eye, maintaining an air conditioning intake, before returning to Charing Cross rail bridge on a six-month contract with Costain, subcontracted through CH2M.

Originally built in 1982, Shake Dog was rebuilt in 1995 and joined the CPBS fleet in 2012. The company, which operates a fleet of workboats and light tugs on the Thames, all given 'dog' names, as well as four pleasure boats, has made use of Shake Dog for a variety of jobs within the Thames area and farther afield.

Work has included removing and re-instating moorings for super yachts in the Royal Victoria and Albert docks, placing pontoons for visiting boats and tendering supplies and removing waste from HMS Ocean when she was moored at Greenwich ship pier during the Olympic games.

As well as operating in the Thames area, Shake Dog is licensed to work in waters around the British Isles and Ireland, the North Sea, and most major European ports. Late last year she was working at Felixstowe supporting the extension of the container port’s new quay. She has also carried out geotechnical survey work at Bridlington and in The Wash for EGS International and provided support to GPS Marine in raising a WW2 Dornier bomber from the Goodwin Sands.

Shake Dog is powered by two Caterpillar 3408 main engines driving fixed blade props producing 16 ton bollard pull. In addition to the crane she is equipped with a 30 ton drum winch, 5 ton capstans and a self loading TL38 Cherry Picker work platform with the capability to take 2 people from river level to 44ft for various applications including aerial inspections, close working at height and ease of access to bridges. There is welding, burning and cutting equipment on the deck which is large enough to hold two 20ft containers or one 40ft container.