Monday 14 May 2012

Sea Trials Diary - Monday 14th May

After a very fast trip up to Subic Bay by by car this morning, the sea trials team arrived at the Yard at 10:30 and had a chance to see the 'babies' lined up on the quay.
RTM Cartier (left) and RTM Cook (right) on the Fitting Out Quay


'RTM Cook' underwent her Inclining Experiment today and was off limits to all but the Senior Officers and one Supervisor for the day. We were left to our own devices to explore the vessel under construction in Dock 6 - PN68/RTM Zheng He and PN67/RTM Dampier. We were lucky to witness the engine for RTM Zheng He being installed though missed the moment of lowering into place using the 600T gantry crane.


Yard workers unshackle the lifting rig from the Main Engine
One of the hanging conrods awaiting connection to the crankshaft
PN66/RTM Cartier is at about the same state of fit-out of as RTM Cook was at the last blog posting.


A mystery ship here is 'Ocean Corona', a 180,000 DWT Capesize lying at anchor with a very visible tide mark on her hull. She arrived in Subic fully laden on 14th April after loading Saldanha Bay, South Africa. It looks like she has flooded one of the forward ballast tanks - grounding or hull failure? She is back at near even keel but her hull betrays that she has been 'down by the head' for some time.


Ocean Corona at anchor



Well down by the head?
'Ore Fabrica' lies at anchor as well, riding high in the water. No ValeMax on the horizon or due in Subic Bay according to Lloyds Maritime Intelligence.


Ore Fabrica seen from RTM Cartier
The Antipodean Mariner

3 comments:

  1. Love those engine photos!

    ReplyDelete
  2. For info regarding the Ocean Corona
    On 19 March 2012, Ocean Corona was on a voyage from Saldanha, South Africa to Beilun, China with a cargo of iron ore. As the ship was passing to the south of the Cocos Islands it touched bottom. This resulted in hull bottom damage in way of several salt water ballast tanks. No pollution or injuries were recorded. By 22 March the ship had been taken in tow and was north west of Christmas Island, bound for Qingdao, China.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You're very luck - would so love to be allowed to explore a shipyard like that, how cool!

    ReplyDelete