Vanport won a five-year MATOC contract by NOAA for the Oregon region. The first task order was awarded to us for the NOAA ship Fairweather. We performed the dockside repairs on this vessel the previous season and left a lasting impression on the NOAA team with our dedication to safety, quality, budget and schedule.
This season’s repairs included fan room heat exchanger replacement, boiler control upgrades, crane and winch inspections, habitability upgrades, engine room vent louver installation and replacing four MSD (Marine Sanitation Device) tanks on the engine room level.
As part of the previous year’s contract, we ordered and received the new electro-mechanical vent louvers. On this contract, we were able to perform the actual installation of the louvers and modifications to the ship’s stack. As part of the modification, zinc chromate coatings were abated before any work could proceed. We contracted with a certified abatement specialist to handle the coating removal. Significant steel modifications were required to mount the new aluminum louvers to stack. Design changes were implemented to allow greater access to the interior of the stack once the new louvers were installed.
A major project on this contract was the removal of the existing MSD tanks, fabrication of new stainless steel tanks and installation on the ship. This work was very similar to the work with completed on the NOAA Rainier that required a similar MSD tank to be designed, fabricated and installed in a very short time frame. This project was successfully completed earlier in 2017.
Due to the fact that this project would cause the ship to be inhabitable, a very short duration was scheduled for this project to minimize the down time for the ship. The new tanks were fabricated at our shop in Portland, OR and transported to the repair site in Newport, OR where they were successfully installed aboard the ship. We contracted with the local Omnipure representative to perform the initial startup of the new systems to ensure the system was functioning properly and that the ship could be returned to full operating status.
Sound teamwork was the key to our success on this project. Our project management team, the production staff, and support from the home office allowed us to complete this complex project on time and on budget, ensuring the satisfaction of another customer.