GMD Performs Evergreen Repair

This past November, the GMD Group performed emergency repairs to Evergreen's 46,411-gt containership M/V Ever Goods, when its rudder failed in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world — midway between New York and New Jersey, underneath the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Rather than pay anywhere between five and six million dollars to tow the broken vessel to its homeport in Japan, the owners opted to call on GMD's Bayonne Drydock & Repair, which was conveniently located just a few miles from the bridge.

Originally the plan called for the fabrication of a new rudder stock, but when GMD located a never-before used tailshaft with ABS certification papers in San Francisco, Calif, those plans were quick to change. It was decided by both the representatives from Evergreen and Bayonne's project engineer, Carl Gomez to drydock the vessel at the Bayonne yard on December 2, 2002.

where it remained until the end of the year.

Workers at the Bayonne yard immediately began to fabricate a new 22.5-ton, 8.698 x 699-mm rudder stock, commencing with classification inspections that were carried out by NK surveyors, while all fabricating instructions and measurements were conducted through Gomez.

In addition to the rudder stock fabrication, the vessel's steering system was completely disassembled from top to bottom. All parts were inspected and measured and the carrier bearing and carrier plate were machined down.

Following measurements taken via laser beam from the new machined carrier bearing to neck bearing and gudeon bor, it was recommended by project engineer Gomez that a line bor was not necessary.

M/V Ever Goods' new steering system consisted of a Thordon bearing, which was fabricated accordingly at the yard to Thordon machining instructions for steering.

Following operational tests at the Bayonne yard, the vessel departed on December 29. 2002.

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