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Bow Leopard -<br />
The superintendent’s view<br />
By Ashok Nair, Superintendent Bow Leopard<br />
Photos: Captain Luisito G. Cantona<br />
The first considerations<br />
on converting the KSEC<br />
ships to double-hull<br />
started within Fleet<br />
Asia team in Singapore<br />
already in June 2005.<br />
However, assistance<br />
was required by the<br />
Project/Newbuilding department in<br />
Bergen, and subsequently both the classification<br />
society, DnV, and the design<br />
department of Stocznia Szczecinska<br />
Nova yard in Poland got involved.<br />
When Cosco Shipyard in Nantong was<br />
awarded the task of undertaking the<br />
conversion works, the Superintendents<br />
in Fleet Asia added on specifications for<br />
general repair and maintenance.<br />
The initial yard estimate was that the<br />
entire stay at the yard for the conversion<br />
work would be about fifty days<br />
for each vessel. However, the rebuilding<br />
turned out to be more complicated,<br />
and we spent close to eighty days<br />
with the first vessel, which we realize is<br />
necessary. In September there will be<br />
three <strong>Odfjell</strong> vessels at the yard; Bow<br />
Puma, Bow Leopard and Bow Panther.<br />
All of us are looking forward to this<br />
moment.<br />
July and August were exceptionally<br />
hot in the Nantong area this year, with<br />
The old ship’s side being removed<br />
temperatures touching 36°C. Try to<br />
imagine what it was like inside the<br />
cargo tanks! The authorities prohibited<br />
work between 1100 and 1700 hrs, and<br />
obviously this slowed us down despite<br />
the fact that the yard increased the<br />
night shifts. Luckily, temperatures have<br />
since dropped, and schedules are back<br />
to normal.<br />
Such a long docking period is unusual<br />
and quite a challenge for the crew and<br />
the shore staff. The three Ds (difficult,<br />
dirty and dangerous) of shipyard work<br />
are obvious everyday. It is not possible<br />
to keep the decks and engine room<br />
clean due the large amount of steel<br />
work, coating/blasting and machinery<br />
work involved. There is also considerable<br />
steel work around the accommodation<br />
block, inside the accommodation,<br />
work on the air conditioning<br />
plant, sewage treatment plant and steel<br />
work in the fresh water tanks. Although<br />
we concentrate on keeping the accommodation<br />
space clean, the work has<br />
lead to lot of discomfort to the ship’s<br />
crew from time to time. To the credit of<br />
the ship staff and shipboard management<br />
team, all this has been borne with<br />
a smile.<br />
The double-side blocks ready for installation<br />
Besides the normal supervisory and<br />
coordinating role of a Superintendent,<br />
the challenge during such a long project<br />
is to motivate the crew and to<br />
sustain the focus on the yard to deliver<br />
in time and in quality. Maximizing the<br />
daily morning meetings with ship staff<br />
and yard key personnel is the key to the<br />
successful execution of this project. My<br />
6 ODFJELL Quarterly September 2006
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