Page 44: of Marine News Magazine (July 2018)

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SPECIAL REPORT: WORKBOAT REPAIR

THORDON BEARINGS:

EAL PROTECTION IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN

The ideal solution for the tightening regulatory noose also brings a different (and welcome) shade of ‘green’ for workboat operators.

By Joseph Keefe s the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA known in the blue water, international trades, Thordon bear- ramps up enforcement of regulations that mandate ings are available worldwide through over 75 agents and dis-

A that all vessels over 24 meters (78 feet) operating in tributors. That said; there aren’t too many types of vessels or

US waters must switch over to EALs in all oil-to-sea inter- operating environments that Thordon can’t tackle, and cer- faces before their next drydocking, it is an arguably good tainly, momentum is building in the inland and fresh water time to be in the lubricants business. At the same time, markets – here and abroad. To that end, some recent installa-

Thordon Bearings, a manufacturer of seawater lubricated tions auger well for a workboat sector that ? nds itself under bearings for the marine industry has its own thoughts on pressure from a variety of regulatory and ? nancial pressures.

that very topic. Speci? cally, Craig Carter, Thordon Bear- ings’ Director of Marketing and Customer Service, asks, RiverTough “What is the point in shipowners investing in costly bio- When South American inland pushboat operator Impa- lubricants when seawater is widely available and 100% la experienced water ingress through the aft seal resulting free? It’s akin to paying for the very air we breathe.” in the complete seizure of the tailshaft bearing, they turned

When used in conjunction with Thordon Bearings’ COM- to Thordon Bearings for a quick and permanent ? x. That’s

PAC propeller shaft bearing system, seawater lubricates the because with El Niño approaching, the operator couldn’t bearings to ensure the smooth, effective and safe operation of risk further damage to the vessel in shallow silty rivers. Im- the vessel. Not only does As Thordon guarantees its seawater- pala’s boats operate on Colombia’s highly abrasive Magda- lubricated COMPAC system for a wear life of ? fteen years, lena River and its existing oil-lubricated tailshaft bearing it also reduces a vessel’s annual operating and maintenance system couldn’t keep pace.

costs substantially, compared to an EAL-lubricated metal Thordon Bearings has successfully completed the oil to bearing and two seal system. That much cannot be denied. water-lubricated tailshaft bearing conversions of the ? rst

Arguably the premiere environmentally correct option, four of 15 Impala Terminals Colombia operated tug/tow

Thordon Bearings solve one (underwater) problem while boats. Impala Zambrano, the ? rst of 15 triple-screw and improving another – the bottom line. That’s because re- twin-screw pusher boats scheduled for oil-to-water conver- cently published research into the operational costs of us- sion, was retro? tted in July 2015 with a Thordon River- ing mineral oil, approved EALs or seawater in a propeller Tough bearing and TG100 shaft seal combination.

shaft bearing system showed that EALs – vegetable oils, Three triple-screw and one twin-screw pusher vessels synthetic esters and polyalkylene glycols – are over 7 times have since been converted and all 15 tug/towboats are more expensive than the mineral oils typically used in oil- scheduled for conversion by the end of 2018. The low level lubricated propeller shaft bearing systems. of water in Colombia’s waterways, an effect of the drought

Thordon estimates that as much as 63 million U.S. gal- caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, is a major lons of operational oil lubricant are leaked into the oceans concern for Latin American owners of workboats operat- each year at a staggering cumulative cost to the operator, ing on the region’s rivers.

even without adding in any monetary penalties incurred Jorge Luis Vélez, Manager, Delta Marine and River Ser- by way of environmental ? nes. vices, said “By far the biggest problem with the original

Not everyone is sold on the concept, or the extra costs oil-lubricated system was the small 4mm (0.157”) clear- involved in installing seawater lubricated bearings. Better ance between the propeller and Kort nozzles. When silt

July 2018

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