Cook Strait ferries debacle

[R650R]

http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=73768

For about what we spend weekly on welfare the govt could buy a brand new ship...

[jonbuoy]

Nothing to do with ships. Everything to do with the all powerful Road Transport Forum. The biggest issue I see with the Stena Alegra is the amount of oil it spews out each crossing. Doesn't have a functioning mechanical seal anywhere on that boat and nothing short of a full refit including completely new motive power bits and probably new hull plates is going to fix it. And what Kickaha said.

Eh?? That's more likely an "operator" problem - pumping oil contaminated bilge water over board which is highly illegal. Only seals that have oil behind them would be the shaft seals- and if that much oil was leaking out chances are the shaft bearing lube oil would be contaminated by seawater and stuffed quick smart. They have to do regular oil analysis of the shaft lube oil - Classification society and Port state would be down on them like a ton of bricks.

[awayatc]

Fwiw......simplex style shaftseals work on inside oil pressure being higher then outside seawater pressure.....
So when seal ages or fails it leaks oil to the outside, not seawater to the inside.
Newer systems available now on freshwater rather then oil.....

[jonbuoy]

Fwiw......simplex style shaftseals work on inside oil pressure being higher then outside seawater pressure.....
So when seal ages or fails it leaks oil to the outside, not seawater to the inside.
Newer systems available now on freshwater rather then oil.....

I guess that's assuming they keep the circulation pumps running all the time - even during lay up. No idea what seals they have but hard to imagine a Kiwi crew would just keep topping the tanks up if it was dropping by enough to be a pollution hazard.

[awayatc]

Haha...... yes they get topped up, regardless how much it leaks....untill drydock/slip fixes it.

no circulation pump needed....header tank

[jonbuoy]

Haha...... yes they get topped up, regardless how much it leaks....untill drydock/slip fixes it.

no circulation pump needed....header tank

We have circulation pumps that start when engines do. I know we have regular oil tests - regardless of oil level in the tanks.

[awayatc]

Yes you are talking about the sterntube oil....
vast amounts of it.
between sterntube and the big blue ocean however you have a seal.
If that seal leaks your stern tube oil gets contaminated.
That seal itself is oilfilled...
So that if it leaks, oil goes to outside, rather then seawater gets to inside..

[jonbuoy]

Yes you are talking about the sterntube oil....
vast amounts of it.
between sterntube and the big blue ocean however you have a seal.
If that seal leaks your stern tube oil gets contaminated.
That seal itself is oilfilled...
So that if it leaks, oil goes to outside, rather then seawater gets to inside..

Yes your right my mistake - we were in drydock recently getting new seals and I had to help the shaft seal guy by getting the pumps running to bleed the air without the engines runnning - I assumed it was the same oil for the seal - clearly not!

[5150]

When I heard that the ferry was coming from Poland I lol'd

Care to elaborate on that statement?

[R650R]

Haha...... yes they get topped up, regardless how much it leaks....untill drydock/slip fixes it.

no circulation pump needed....header tank

The marine industry sounds just like the trucking industry, as long as the wheels turn keep the air/oil leaking/bleeding/spilling til the freight gets there...

[Ulsterkiwi]

as long as it's not Irish with the name Titanic I suppose ..

hoi! it was alright when it left Belfast! driving it into an iceberg was the unhelpful bit.

[imdying]

Its only luck that the prop and engine failures have occurred in fine weather close to land....

Where did the Wahine come a cropper again?

[oldrider]

hoi! it was alright when it left Belfast! driving it into an iceberg was the unhelpful bit.

Why should it dodge icebergs ... it was after all unsinkable!

[amberzfire]

hoi! it was alright when it left Belfast! driving it into an iceberg was the unhelpful bit.

Yes, you are correct. My apologies for upsetting you.

[Ulsterkiwi]

Yes, you are correct. My apologies for upsetting you.

lol, you should see me when I am upset