The Suleyman Vazirov pipe-laying vessel, operated by the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO), which is part of AZCON Holding, has resumed operations after undergoing a comprehensive repair and maintenance program.
The refurbishment work was carried out at the floating dock of Baku Shipyard, where the vessel’s underwater and above-water hull sections were cleaned and repainted, Caliber.Az reports, citing the ASCO.
Damaged hull steel plates were replaced, while sea chests and hull fittings underwent inspection. Maintenance was also performed on engine-room machinery, accommodation facilities, deck equipment, compressors, crane beams, ventilation systems, and other onboard components.
Additional repair work was completed at the Zigh Ship Repair and Shipbuilding Yard. This included renewing the refractory lining of a RAMEHA-860 water-heating boiler, testing and certifying storm ladders, repairing buoy side flanges, and servicing rope-passage flanges through disassembly, lubrication, and reinstallation.
Engineers also repaired protective metal plates beneath anchor rollers, cargo-support rollers, lower supports of the pipe-laying conveyor system, and protective covers for the main engines. Two new 40-ton double-bollard knuckles were manufactured and installed at the stern, while a tray beneath the vessel’s oil and fuel pipelines was replaced.
As part of the overhaul, support structures for access platforms at the aft section were restored, platform columns were repaired, and steel plates located along the waterline amidships were welded. Removable safety railings on the bow platforms were also refurbished.
Other works included replacing damaged ballast-water pipeline sections, inspecting and testing crane ropes after fully unwinding them from the drums, and repairing defective elements of cargo and pipe supports, boiler units, traction-compression mechanism foundations, and steel-rope drums. The deck and winches were cleaned and repainted.
The vessel’s wooden flooring was renewed, while repairs were also carried out on the faecal pump’s electric motor and the ventilation fans serving welding stations No. 3 and No. 6.
Following completion of the maintenance program, the vessel successfully passed sea trials and was formally returned to service.
The “Suleyman Vazirov” vessel is designed for laying subsea pipelines with diameters ranging from 219 mm to 813 mm at depths of up to 195 metres. The vessel is 108.3 metres long and 25.6 metres wide and operates with a crew of 25 personnel.
By Bakhtiyar Abbasov
