Damen Shipyard announced that Damen Shiprepair Brest completed repairs to the hull of LNG carrier Methane Princess, after its collision with a harbour tug in Equatorial Guinea. In order to achieve this in the minimum time it was done while the vessel was both afloat and with the cargo tanks holding either some liquefied gas and gas vapour.
The 266-meter, 138,000 cbm ship sustained damage above the waterline on the aft starboard side while berthing at the Punta Europa LNG Terminal.
Specifically, the owners thought it was best to perform the hot work repairs with the vessel afloat and with residual gas in the tanks so as to keep them cool. By doing so, the vessel could return to work almost immediately without the usual 3 to 4-day cooling down process.
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Once the vessel was alongside, several controls were performed by a Shore-certified chemist to identify the various risk areas and certify that the hot work area was safe before starting.
The yard team then constructed a platform against the side of the vessel side, held in place by eyes welded on to the hull, and the work went ahead to remove and replace the damaged steel. Once the welding and the necessary tests and certification by the Class were completed, the hull area was painted.
Concluding, that was the second time that Methane Princess was repaired by Damen, as in September she was at the yard for a scheduled intermediate survey that included a full scope of work on the engines, cargo tanks and related equipment.
