Centurion Del Atlantico returns to southern hemisphere

Centurion Del Atlantico returns to southern hemisphere

MAN Diesel PrimeServ’s Service Center in Frederikshavn, Denmark, has successfully completed a large main engine repair and overhaul job aboard the Argentine fishing factory trawler Centurion Del Atlantico. The 21-year-old vessel arrived at Orskov Yard, Denmark for a complete main engine overhaul and an extensive updating and renewal of the accommodation and the fish factory processing plants.

From Japan to Argentina

The Norwegian owner, Aker BioMarine, decided to take the vessel all the way to the northern hemisphere due to the demanding tasks to be performed onboard.

The Centurion Del Atlantico (originally built in Japan 1986 as Akebono Maru, and the world’s largest fishing vessel at that time) is a 118m factory trawler, fully operational with a crew of 100. Today, the vessel operates in the triangle between Argentina, the Falkland Islands and the Antarctica. Various sorts of round fish such as southern blue whiting and hoki are caught for the processing and fabrication of surimi.

The vessel is powered by a MHI (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) licence-built four-stroke medium-speed MAN Diesel main engine type 6L58/64, having clocked approximately 140,000 hours prior to arrival.

Japanese documentation

Dan Larsen, group manager at PrimeServ Frederikshavn, says: “It has been a demanding and challenging process – not just another routine repair task. Jörg Oppermann, from PrimeServ Hamburg has been a great and indispensable help in this project. And the sourcing of components, which is rather difficult in connection with plate/item numbers for an old Japanese licence-engine originally built for a Japanese customer, went through. Andreas Schmager at the PrimeServ Hamburg office. Most of the engine documentation onboard was found only in the Japanese language.”

Splash Oil System

The vessel’s existing oil mist detector could not continue operation so the engine was updated with a new Splash Oil System - ordered from PrimeServ Hamburg and fitted in just two days. Starting-up, quay trails and the following sea trial commenced almost without problems. One fuel pump, however, had to be replaced.

Engine repair and overhaul work performed:

• The owner chose to replace all cylinder heads with new ones – before the arrival of the vessel and dismantling of the engine.

• A complete set of new stay bolts for the cylinder heads was fitted. Two bolts were broken at arrival.

• Seven cylinder liners were honed in the PrimeServ Frederikshavn workshop – including the spare liner stored onboard.

• All pistons were forwarded to PrimeServ Hamburg for overhaul.

• Connection rods were control-measured onboard the vessel – and the upper part of the rods were forwarded to PrimeServ Hamburg for overhaul.

• Due to local corrosion, the cooling jacket 'backing rings’ were forwarded to PrimeServ Hamburg for metal-spraying and machining.

• The vibration dampeners on crankshaft and camshaft were overhauled on site.

• Two injection pump cams were replaced due to wear.

• All camshaft bearings were replaced with new ones.

• During the crankshaft polishing process, some dent marks were found. The marks were caused during onboard straightening of the crankshaft eight years ago in connection with a bearing breakdown. Further investigation of the damage showed large areas on the crankshaft with excess surface hardness and small cracks. During a 'true-running test of the crankshaft, a large bending was revealed – and consequently, in order to save time, the owner was prepared to install a new crankshaft. But due to the delivery time for this crankshaft design, it was however, decided to send the existing one to PrimeServ Hamburg and dismantle it for machining of all journals. The crankshaft was re-assembled and fitted to the engine frame with oversize bearings.

• All fuel injection pumps were forwarded to PrimeServ Hamburg for complete overhaul.

• All roller guides were overhauled at PrimeServ Frederikshavn.

• All cylinder head covers with rocker arms were dismantled and control measured at PrimeServ Frederikshavn

• The governor was forwarded to Woodward in Holland for a complete overhaul.

• During engine start-up and quay trial excessive clearance of the terminal shaft bearing bushings for the fuel injection pumps were discovered. New bushings were fitted.

• The turbocharger of MHI manufacture was dismantled and overhauled by an external specialist for Mitsubishi turbochargers. New filter insert was manufactured in Frederikshavn.

• Alignment and seating of the engine to the ship's foundation was done by PrimeServ Frederikshavn.

In the meantime, the Centurion Del Atlantico has returned to its fishing operations in harsh Argentine waters – and has been operating there reliably without requiring any remarkable actions or parts for ship and main engine.