ST Engineering Halter Marine and Offshore, Pascagoula, Miss., has carried out upgrades to Signet Maritime Corporation’s 10,000 bhp ocean towing tug Signet Warhorse II that included retrofitting new propulsion and maneuvering systems.
The scope of work included removing existing shafts and fixed-pitched propellers to be replaced with state-of-art controllable pitch propellers along with shaft bearings and shafts. Auxiliary components including the oil distribution box and feedback unit were integrated into the machinery space.
The existing bow tunnel thruster was replaced with a retractable azimuth thruster. ST Engineering laser scanned the bow hull to create a 3D model so that the hull fairing plates could be developed and installed in way of the new drop down azimuthing thruster.
Installation of the new thruster casing, including the fairing plate and thruster alignment, were executed perfectly on a 24-hour shift.
Prior to departure from the shipyard, the vessel was treated to a thorough blast and paint job of the underwater/freeboard areas. This was followed by a complete ABS survey of the hull was conducted upon completion.
“With our strong track record, coupled with deep engineering expertise and know-how, we endeavor to deliver vessels to our customers safely and on time,” said Lim Nian Hua, President and CEO of ST Engineering Halter Marine and Offshore. “We continue to work to strengthen the capability of our Pascagoula facilities to support and add value to our customers like Signet.”
“For over 30-years, Signet and Halter have enjoyed a multi-reciprocal shipyard and tug transport relationship,” said Hans Schmidt, President & General Manager of Signet Maritime. “This highly technical conversion for Signet’s 10,000 horsepower assets into vastly improved maneuverable, stronger 151 metric tonne bollard pull ocean towing and station-keeping machines was done on time and on budget by our good friends at ST Engineering Halter Marine and Offshore.”