Rudder Repair
Portland, Oregon
When tasked to remove a damaged 140-ton rudder on the GSL Eleni container ship in the Portland Harbor, Advanced American Construction (AAC) chose S70 Flexifloats for the job. After consulting with Robishaw Engineering, an unusual “U”-shaped assembly was selected which allowed the rudder to sit within a slot while also clearing the ship’s propeller. The unusual design also placed the center of flotation close to the center of gravity of the rudder which had to extend below the hull of the barge. This configuration allowed the operation to be supported with minimum barge inclination. In addition to the rudder, the Flexifloat assembly also supported two manlifts and additional support equipment needed for the operation.
Steel box beams were positioned across the slot of the assembly to support the rudder. Using multiple chain-falls attached to the ship’s stern, AAC was able to remove and lower the rudder onto the Flexifloat assembly. Once secured, the assembly was pushed over to a waiting 300-ton ringer crane to pick and set the rudder on a flat deck barge for repairs. Once repairs were made, the “U”-shaped S70 assembly was utilized to replace the repaired rudder and complete the project allowing the container ship to leave the Portland Harbor.
