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In early 2022, a vessel belonging to a Middle-East-based LNG-carrying fleet set off from Gibraltar with a destination of Ras Laffan, the so-called ‘industrial city’ located around 80 kilometres north of the Qatari capital, Doha. This was no ordinary trip, however, because this time the usual crew were accompanied by an Atlas Copco team of LNG specialized marine service engineers. On behalf of the ship’s owners, an LNG-carrier expert business had commissioned Atlas Copco to undertake the overhaul of the on-board compander, which plays a significant role in re-liquifying the boil-off gas so that it can be returned and stored on the carrier.
Though the team of LNG specialized marine service engineers has significant experience in overhauling the compander as the ship is sailing, it is rarely straight forward. In fact, for the early 2022 project, the team were faced with many challenges before the vessel reached Ras Laffan for loading: as well as a race-against-the-clock to finish the overhaul on time, a major challenge was getting the attending engineer’s embarkation and disembarkation visa, a task compounded by covid restrictions. In fact, all the engineers had to isolate and perform multiple covid PCR and rapid antigen tests before they boarded the vessel and during the entire journey. In addition, the specific hours that the team could work on the overhaul project was affected by weather conditions, while there were also limitations on manpower support throughout the journey.
Nevertheless, the LNG specialized marine service engineers successfully overhauled the compander within the time it took to get from Gibraltar to Ras Laffan. The vessel could be started up, loaded and it sailed on time from the port at Ras Laffan to its next destination.
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