In December, MarLog carried out a service job on Yokohama fenders at a shipyard in Haugesund. The service revealed critical errors in the fenders’ safety valves. The valves were repaired, and the customer’s fenders will now function properly when mooring larger vessels in the coming years.
The customer requested service on fenders
The shipyard in Haugesund will moor a large barge for one of its customers in 2023. The customer wanted to use Yokohama fenders during the operation and requested that they be serviced.
MarLog with long experience and expertise in fenders, was given the job.
Fender service is an important safety measure
The purpose of a fender service is to check that the fender does not have external damage and that it is able to absorb pressure from heavy vessels when moored.
-Not everyone is aware that most suppliers recommend that fenders are serviced every 2-3 years, says Kaj Sindre Steinbru, Sales Coordinator at MarLog.
It is important that the fenders’ safety valves are calibrated to ensure that they don’t fail. This can cause the fenders to explode during operations and create dangerous situations. It is important that customers take this seriously says Steinbru.
Fender service requires special equipment and expertise
To check the fenders, the MarLog team traveled to the shipyard in Haugesund. Here, four large fenders were disassembled, drained of air, and the safety valves were removed. In addition, bolts and chains were checked for errors and deficiencies.
Performing service on safety valves requires special equipment. Therefore, the safety valves were transported to Stavanger for a thorough check.
In this case, it was discovered that two of the safety valves did not work. They did not release air at 1.75 bar, which is the requirement for this type of fender. The valves had to be lubricated and recalibrated.
When the safety valves were back in place, the fenders were refilled with air and reassembled. The entire operation was thoroughly documented in accordance with the documentation requirements of the customer.
Would you like to know more about or have service performed on your fenders? Please feel free to contact us and we will help you.
