Marine Log - March 2009 - (Page 11) Horizon dry docks boxship in Brooklyn I f you are in New York long enough, you’ll see just about anything. New Yorkers that were on the East River on the afternoon of Feb. 9 saw the Horizon Producer sail under the Brooklyn Bridge. What makes that so unusual is that the Horizon Producer was "the first containership to be dry-docked here in more than 15 years," says Joe Breglia, Horizon Lines vice president and general manager of Ocean Transportation Services. The 1974-built, U.S.-flag containership was in for a “shave and a haircut” at GMD Shipyard, which is located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. While it was in dry dock for 28 days, the Horizon Producer had its hull, hull components, propeller, engines, turbines and boilers surveyed, repaired and upgraded. GMD Shipyard performed the coatings work and the steel work. The vessel needed about 30 tons of steel replaced. The steel replacement was not in one area, says Breglia, but rather scattered around the hull, making the project more complex. In addition, the hull was coated with tinfree, self-polishing anti-foulings supplied by International Paint. As a result, Breglia told MARINE LOG that the ship should be able to achieve an annual fuel savings of 3-5%. Increased fuel savings also translates into a better emissions profile for the vessel. “The real saving grace with any dry-docking,” points out Breglia, “is in the planning.” With 21 U.S.-flag vessels, Horizon Lines performs 37 dry dockings every five years. “We perform our own steel surveys and use gauging equipment to test the thickness of the steel,” he says. “These are precious Jones Act assets,” says John V. Keenan, Horizon Lines, LLC, presi- dent and COO, “and with proper maintenance practices you can prolong their service lives.” According to Keenan, Horizon spends an average of $2.5 million to $3 million per dry docking. “One thing I wanted to point out,” says Keenan, “is the role that our crews play in maintaining our ships. Our chief engineer, for example, has more than 30 years’ experience with this vessel and the average tenure of our senior officers is more than 15 years.” Horizon Lines has three other dry dockings planned for this year, including the Horizon Pacific, the Horizon Challenger and Horizon Tacoma. The Horizon Pacific and Horizon Tacoma will most likely be dry docked in Asia. After leaving the yard, the Horizon Producer sailed to Port Elizabeth, N.J., to load cargo for Puerto Rico. Austal awarded European defense contract from AFM Australia-based Austal secured its first European defence contract worth EURO 9.6 million from the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM). The contract is for the building and delivery of four 21.2 m inshore patrol craft vessels. They will be able to reach speeds up to 26 knots and will have a crew of eight. The vessels—expected to be delivered by the end of this year—will bring Austal’s defence vessels to more than 60. They will assist the AFM with border protection and surveillance. In addition, the patrol craft will be able to support 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm guns. AFM’s duties include combating terrorism and illiciting drug trafficking. www.marinelog.com MARCH 2009 MARINE LOG 11 http://www.marinelog.com
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