New gearboxes for Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger

Project description

Stork Gears & Services was hired for the development of the jetpump- and dredgepump gearbox for a trailing suction hopper dredger in Dubai.

This vessel - the Volvox Atalanta with an overall length of 94 m and hopper volume of 4,500 m3 - was equipped with two Jahnel Kestermann gearboxes. Replacement of the existing gearboxes by our new custom-built gearboxes needed to be performed during the ships dry dock maintenance. 

Gearbox alignment

Precision alignment of the gearboxes was of great importance in order to increase machine lifetime and reduce premature wear and unplanned machine failure due to misalignment. We installed PLC software. PLC is an integrated part of the main controls in order to be able to change gears and check if all conditions are OK to be engaged further to do permanently monitoring of running conditions and if necessary disengage the gearbox from the engine. 

To begin with

Within six months we developed two complete new gearboxes for our customer, from engineering to gearbox assembly. These new gearboxes - together weighing 30 tons- arrived by sea container in time, in full accordance with the docking schedule. Besides logistics, calculations and project planning, the project involved the complete dismantling of the existing gearboxes without moving the engines. A big challenge of this project was how to built up the new gearboxes upon the existing baseplate. Working in continuous shifts we managed to succeed the project within the fixed timeline of six weeks!

For a visual impression of our activities week by week, please see the Photogallery below.

From Dubai to Brazil, many millions of cubic meters of sand have to be dredged to create new land. Trailing suction hopper dredgers play an important role in these projects. The dredging industry customer’s main requirement is that the tasks must be carried out in a very short time. The costs of stand still are enormous. This calls for very fast delivery times.

Gearbox services for worldwide dredgers

At Stork Gears & Services, everything evolves around the speed of handling. We have the gearbox expertise and in house facilities to rapidly deliver custom-built gearboxes for customers in the dredging industry all over the world. Over the years, we have established a reputation for combining quality with unparalleled speed.