Cascade General Reinvents Itself

By Scott Thompson for International Shiprepair News

When the four year old bulk carrier Capitano Giovanni's rudder broke in mid-Pacific while on her way from Australia to Alabama, the Italian owner Deiulemar sprang in to action. The company inked a repair contract with Portland, Oregon based Cascade General while the ship was still under tow. With a wealth of experience in emergency repairs, the yard was already in the process of fabricating the new rudder from the original designs when the ship arrived in September last year.

The rudder of the Capitano Giovanni when it had just been raised up and was being prepared to be moved to the Berth for fitting & installation

"The lead time allowed our senior design staff to consult with Fincantieri, the ship's builder, establish an Auto-CAD interface and receive all CAD data for the replacement rudder via e-mail," says Thomas Rathcke, Marketing Specialist at Cascade General. "Over 70, 000 pounds (32 metric tonnes) of locally supplied ABS Grade A steel were cut on computer-controlled equipment and assembly was in progress by a team of certified welders within days of winning the contract."

The 74, 500 dwt vessel arrived dockside on September 17th, still with its cargo of 50, 000 metric tonnes of coke on board. At a draft of 36 feet (11 m), the vessel could not be dry docked. After consultations with both the owners and the Italian classification society (RINA), the ship was trimmed 8 feet (2.5 m) down by the bow to raise the stem and a 19 x 13 feet (6 x 4 m) coffer dam was flooded and floated under the broken rudder. Working 6 feet (2 m) below water level, the dock crew removed the stub of the rudder and floated it from under the stem.

The 39 foot (12 m) rudder shaft and attached steering mechanism-weighing a total of 54 Long Tons (55 metric tonnes) was removed from the ship and suspended on the dock for a laser alignment test. Fortunately, it was found to be undamaged. The 31,000 pound (14 metric tonnes) replacement rudder casting arrived at Portland International Airport by cargo flight from Italy and was machined on-site to tolerance with a tapered boring bore. The casting was aligned and then welded to the new rudder in a 392 Fahrenheit environment using the Cooper Heat Method with a bank of ceramic resistance heaters. Since the old rudder had broken across the rudder-nut aperture, Cascade General's engineers specified that a 5-inch deep intercoastal flange be added to the framing above and below the opening.

Pasquale Della Gatta, President of Deiulemar, applauded the way in which the yard rose to the "challenge of performing all work with the vessel floating alongside birth without any delay, keeping the vessel in cargo condition. The response of the yard fulfilled all our needs of Safety, Quality, Delivery Time, Pre-Planning and Costs."

Cascade General has also been busy reinventing its approach to serving international flag ships with the emphasis on fast turn-around dry-dockings that minimise downtime. Productivity and quality work that meets all certification standards are also at the top of the agenda. "Over the last three years, our Voyage & Small Vessel Repair Division has led the way in providing fast, cost-effective service to the international fleet," says Andrew Rowe, Executive Vice President at Cascade General. "We are now extending this approach to include standard dry-dockings and maintenance for the international flag sector. With representatives in 22 countries and a strong international sales presence, we are planning to grow this segment of our business."

In an attempt to buck the trend which has kept international ships out of American yards, Cascade General has also implemented a complete re-organisation of labour and management practices at the Portland yard. "A new labour agreement and training programme through the 'Shipyard University' has established cross-crafting and pay rates based on skill, ability and performance," says Thomas Rathcke. "Meanwhile, heavy investments in capital equipment coupled with new project-management systems have established a customer-service orientation and an organisation focused on making sure owners, crews and vessels are well treated during their stay in Portland."

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