Exactly what happens in drydock?

[cruisin'sz]

Does anyone know what enhancements will be made to the Zuiderdam when she is in drydock this December?

[bepsf]

If you check out the SOE schedule it will tell you...

[cruisin'sz]

Where do I find the SOE schedule?

[DCBCcruiser]

click on this or copy and paste, either one will work!

http://www.hollandamerica.com/pdfs/SOE_update.pdf

[Krazy Kruizers]

She will also be addressing the problem of some of the passenger hallways on certain cabin decks that are crumbling away.

[cruisin'sz]

Thanks.

[mhshapiro]

In addition to upgrades to the "hotel" part of the ship, during drydock some very important (and required) safety inspections are carried out along with whatever major maintenance to the ship's systems might be needed.

[doublebzz]

Does anyone know what enhancements will be made to the Zuiderdam when she is in drydock this December?

 

All of the maintenance and renovations decribed so far could be done while the ship is afloat without incurring the substantial expense of drydock. The primary purpose of drydock is repair and maintenance of the underwater structure such as cleaning condenser intake filters, sealing hull penetrations such as the ship's screw rotors and removing algae and other organic growths from the ship's hull. The latter improves efficiency and saves on fuel usage.

 

There, now I'm sure, you know far more than you ever wanted to know about drydocking.

[CDRMark]

I have found that the term 'drydock' is sometimes mistakenly used throughout the CC boards to refer to the process of general extensive shipboard repairs, which may or may not require actually pulling it out of the water. Very few things 'require' drydocking a ship anymore, even hull cleaning is done wet now.

 

Cheers

MarkB

[bepsf]

Mark--

 

How do they do a hull-cleaning underwater? Wouldn't clearing of the barnacles require a re-paint?

[dougnewmanatsea]

She will also be addressing the problem of some of the passenger hallways on certain cabin decks that are crumbling away.

Sorry, I haven't been reading many ZUIDERDAM postings lately - but are you serious?

 

How does a hallway "crumble away"?

 

This just sounds too interesting for me not to have asked ;) .

 

Very few things 'require' drydocking a ship anymore, even hull cleaning is done wet now.

True, but they must drydock every two years or so anyhow, as the classification societies require it.

 

Just out of curiosity, how does one do hull cleaning underwater?

 

I know modern marine coatings can last for years, but surely they must repaint the underwater portions of the hull sometime - they can't do that wet, can they?

[bepsf]

Doug--

 

Not to speak for KK, but perhaps she's addressing an issue that I noticed aboard Oosterdam when she was new...

On the upper passenger decks (4-8), the long corridors do some 90 degree turns near the stairtowers. The walls near those corners were battered from luggage, room service carts, etc. and I recall thinking that the builder should have installed low metal plates in those areas to take the abuse that was sure to follow. If this hasn't been dealt with already, after 3 years of that type of abuse I wouldn't be surprised if Zuiderdam's corridor walls are beat up w/ holes in those areas....

...of course, it doesn't require taking the ship to drydock to take care of that.

;)

[dougnewmanatsea]

I recall thinking that the builder should have installed low metal plates in those areas to take the abuse that was sure to follow.

Interesting.

 

I imagine if this was not rectified after three years then things might be "crumbling" indeed!

 

The level of interior finish on HAL's and other Fincantieri-built ships of recent years leaves something to be desired...

[CDRMark]

While re-painting the underwater portions would involve putting the ship on blocks, merely removing the friction causing 'gunk' (an old Navy term) from the anti-fouling paint can be done wet. There are large pneumatic powered grinder/scrubbers which are used. I'll see if I can find a pic. As Doug said, the coating can last for years. Navsea requires ships deploy with clean hulls for fuel efficiency, quiet reasons.

I was unaware of the requirement to pull them every two years. Thanks again Doug for your regular input of industry info!

Cheers

MarkB

Here is a reference. Imagine a larger scale.

http://www.iut.ac.ir/subseacenter/underwaterhullcleaningsystem.htm

[RevNeal]

CDRMark, this is her 2-year dry-docking for that purpose. I'm sure they'll do other engineering-related inspections and swap-outs a this time, too, in additon to painting.

 

ShipCafe used to have some excellent photos of the Statendam during her last dry docking. I wonder if he can ever get some photos of a Vista in dry dock?

[CDRMark]

All my experience is with USN vessels. We don't pull them unless we have to; very infrequently, so as much work as possible is done wet. Divers, cofferdams, etc.

 

Ships in drydock are spectacular, I agree. Walking around the floor of a graving dock bneneath an Aircraft Carrier is ...interesting. Sorry, no pics.:)

 

CheersMarkB

[RevNeal]

On the upper passenger decks (4-8), the long corridors do some 90 degree turns near the stairtowers. The walls near those corners were battered from luggage, room service carts, etc. and I recall thinking that the builder should have installed low metal plates in those areas to take the abuse that was sure to follow.

 

Yeah, it was weird to not see a LONG corridor on those decks ... just a door and/or a wall. So strange. I also consider the very design itself to be poor engineering ... not just the lack of proper protection for that part of the corridor, but the very fact that there has to be a 90-degree angle there, where traffic flow will be great. NOT very smart on the part of the design team. I wonder if any of them have ever been aboard and watched crew try to work around those turns with luggage carts, etc.?

[dippy]

All of the maintenance and renovations decribed so far could be done while the ship is afloat without incurring the substantial expense of drydock. The primary purpose of drydock is repair and maintenance of the underwater structure such as cleaning condenser intake filters, sealing hull penetrations such as the ship's screw rotors and removing algae and other organic growths from the ship's hull. The latter improves efficiency and saves on fuel usage.

 

There, now I'm sure, you know far more than you ever wanted to know about drydocking.

 

Though you are correct, I guess you missed the mini-series on TLC during which a RCCL ship was in drydock and they did more than simply repair the underwater structure of the ship. Dry dock facilities allow for extensive changes to take place to a ship that cannot take place while at sea or docked at a pier both inside and outside of the ship.

[CDRMark]

As long as cruise vessels are required to be pulled every two years, as Doug said, the question appears moot. They can do whatever they want.

 

Cheers

MarkB

[shipcafe]

How does a hallway "crumble away"?

 

This just sounds too interesting for me not to have asked ;) .

 

 

Too funny! I was going to ask the same thing. I think that that is a bit of an exaggeration. It was reported that some surfaces of the corridors have become uneven, etc. I am sure that this will be rectified upon her drydock.

If they're "crumbling away" then they may not even be there when drydock DOES come around! :)