The ‘Sun Princess’with 2,000 pax on board had 27 sq m of her tank-top above a heavy fuel oil tank reinstated using SPS, whilst sailing between Dubai and Southampton during Spring 2019.
The steelwork was undertaken by SPS licensee, SRC Estonia with an SPS Technology engineer overseeing the elastomer core injection.
A low heat solution was selected, due to the area being above a fuel tank. The perimeter bars were glued using a structural adhesive on the prepared tank-top. The top plates were then welded to the perimeter bars to form cavities into which the elastomer core was injected to form the new composite tank-top.
Despite a 5mm layer of fibreglass thickened paint covering the tank top, the project was completed five days ahead of schedule.
Access was tight with a maximum head height of just 750mm, which was often dramatically reduced by pipe runs. With an 8mm top plate and 25mm elastomer core, in some places just 20mm of clearance remained between pipes and the new surface. T
She finished her cruise in Southampton where the repair was inspected by a Lloyd’s Register surveyor.
“The project presented many access challenges but we overcame them and managed to complete the work ahead of schedule, with no disruption to the voyage or passengers,” commented SPS Field Engineer, Keith Galway.
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