Egypt’s SUMED pipeline operator Arab Petroleum Pipeline Company (SUMED) has completed the tailshaft conversion to Thordon’s SXL seawater-lubricated bearing system for seven special purpose single point mooring (SPM) service boats, reports World Pipelines.
The final vessel in a series of 17.5 m (57.4 ft) long, 1976-built service boats had its original oil-lubricated tailshaft bearings replaced with the Thordon system at Nefertiti Marine’s Yard-K, in Rosetta Nile, in December 2022. The first vessel, SUMED 10, was converted in 2019.
Long lasting bearing solution
Referring to the first installation, Karim Abd El Karim, Engineering Manager with Nefertiti Marine, Thordon Bearings’ authorised distributor in Egypt, who has overseen the completion of all seven conversions, said: “Oil was leaking from the shafts, and the operator was looking for a longer lasting bearing solution, resistant to abrasive waterways. We proposed the SXL material as the right solution to meet all performance and environmental needs. The vessel owner agreed.”
In addition to SXL tailshaft bearings machined for shaft diameters of 95 mm (3.74 in), Nefertiti Marine provided classification approval drawings and advised on the installation process through to commissioning. All seven service boats received the same scope of supply.
“The success of that first installation, together with the reliability and availability of Thordon’s SXL bearings, lead times and Nefertiti Marine’s engineering expertise, gave us the confidence to convert all our special purpose service boats to seawater-lubrication. The perennial problem of worn aft seals leaking oil into the sea and canal has now been solved.”
Water-lubricated tailshaft arrangement
A water-lubricated tailshaft arrangement negates the need for an aft seal, notoriously prone to failure, resulting in oil pollution, costly repairs, and downtime. Only a forward seal is required in an open system.
SUMED’s fleet of service boats assist tankers in loading shipments from the SUMED oil pipeline. The pipeline, which runs from the Ain Sokhna terminal in the Gulf of Suez to Sidi Kreir port in the Mediterranean Sea, provides an alternative to the Suez Canal for transporting oil from the Arabian Gulf region to the Mediterranean.
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Source: World Pipelines
