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Small Vessel Plays Role Between Harland & Wolff Facilities to Support Upgrade of Giant FPSO Ship

21st February 2024
The small yet versatile vessel, MV Carly based in west Scotland, played a part in Harland & Wolff Group’s contract to carry-out a mid-life upgrade in Belfast of the giant MV SeaRose FPSO which is occupying the shipyard’s main building/dry-dock.
The small yet versatile vessel, MV Carly based in west Scotland, played a part in Harland & Wolff Group’s contract to carry-out a mid-life upgrade in Belfast of the giant MV SeaRose FPSO which is occupying the shipyard’s main building/dry-dock. Credit: Harland&Wolffplc-facebook

A small vessel has been used by the Harland & Wolff Group as part of a contract at their Belfast shipyard to provide a mid-life upgrade of a 150,000dwt Floating Production and Storage Offloading (FPSO) vessel, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The giant Canadian flagged MV SeaRose FPSO which operates in subwell oil fields off Newfoundland and Labrador, Afloat reported of its recent arrival to Belfast. On the other side of the North Channel, the Group’s Arnish yard on the Isle of Lewis & Harris in the Outer Hebrides off Scotland, is where specialist parts were manufactured as part of the refit upgrade of the 271m long FPSO vessel .

On completion of manufacturing the test pieces, they were loaded on board the 33m MV Carly, a workboat, support and landing craft which Afloat has identified is operated by Ferguson Transport & Shipping based in Annat, Corpach, Fort William in west Scotland.

The project cargo was delivered to a very tight deadline, with the team at H&W Arnish, working 24 hours a day to complete buoy seal test plates to schedule. Such an operation demonstrates H&W’s multi-site business model which allowed the shipyard Group to drive capacity and capability to serve client requirements where it is needed.

Currently the yard at Arnish employs a 150-strong workforce and has an apprenticeship programme in place. At the 38 hectare development site located at Arnish Point, is a 21,000m² area with purpose built fabrication and assembly halls and administration offices.

With its deep water quay, Arnish offers unrestricted access to the Atlantic and North Channel, that enables the facility for the shipment of materials and completed fabricated components.

Published in Shipyards
Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals. 

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Shipyards

Afloat will be focusing on news and developments of shipyards with newbuilds taking shape on either slipways and building halls.

The common practice of shipbuilding using modular construction, requires several yards make specific block sections that are towed to a single designated yard and joined together to complete the ship before been launched or floated out.

In addition, outfitting quays is where internal work on electrical and passenger facilities is installed (or upgraded if the ship is already in service). This work may involve newbuilds towed to another specialist yard, before the newbuild is completed as a new ship or of the same class, designed from the shipyard 'in-house' or from a naval architect consultancy. Shipyards also carry out repair and maintenance, overhaul, refit, survey, and conversion, for example, the addition or removal of cabins within a superstructure. All this requires ships to enter graving /dry-docks or floating drydocks, to enable access to the entire vessel out of the water.

Asides from shipbuilding, marine engineering projects such as offshore installations take place and others have diversified in the construction of offshore renewable projects, from wind-turbines and related tower structures. When ships are decommissioned and need to be disposed of, some yards have recycling facilities to segregate materials, though other vessels are run ashore, i.e. 'beached' and broken up there on site. The scrapped metal can be sold and made into other items.