Contract Win Seven Years After Dubai Tug Repair
A 2014 repair to a tug in the United Arab Emirates has led to that country’s navy ordering 24 seals from Canadian firm Thordon Bearings.
The TG100 seal, retrofitted over seven years ago to a 28m government-operated tug in Dubai, was observed to be in unchanged condition during the vessel’s scheduled drydocking earlier this month. The reason the Thordon Bearings component was fitted in the first place was not to do with its presumed reliability, but because the device had an emergency return-to-port function, thanks to its inflatable secondary seal. This capability was lacking on the vessel’s previous equivalent unit, which failed while deployed in the Persian Gulf during a dredger support operation.
“The tug was taking on water … [and] had a real tough time getting back safely,” said Rafid Qureshi, Managing Director of Ocean Power International, Thordon Bearings’ authorised regional distributor. “The failure was of huge concern to the owner, as it could have ended in tragedy.”
The vessel was recovered to the Drydocks World-Dubai shipyard, where the TG100s were fitted. “Drydocks World-Dubai pushed for the Thordon shaft seal because of the reliability and performance of the design,” said OPI’s Sales Manager, Anupam Paul. “But it was the safe-return-to port capability that sealed the deal.”
Seven years later, the seals were found to be in great shape during routine drydock inspection. Based on the recommendation of the shipyard – which is part of EDGE, the UAE’s conglomerate including many of the Emirates’ leading defence and advanced technology companies – the UAE Navy has contracted to buy 24 of the TG100 shaft seals, which will be used to equip six quad-screw vessels.
“The success we now have in the UAE is directly related to the excellent working relationship between Ocean Power International and local yards,” said Thordon Bearings’ Technical Director, Tony Hamilton. “The work Rafid and the OPI team carried out to this tug, Thordon’s first reference on a UAE Navy vessel, has strengthened our position across this region.”
