# Laying up



## deemac15 (Jun 30, 2015)

An extract from a recent edition of the Daily Telegraph about the difficulties of laying up modern ships in the face of the current crisis in ship owning, (what's new!), reads.........
_ "At some stage ship owners will be forced to take their ships out of the market. This will be a slow process, warns Mr Penn.
In the old days you could lay up ships fairly easily, and dramatically reduce costs, but these days with all the modern technology and electronics on board it is much more difficult, Mr Penn explained. We haven’t seen that cold lay up that we have seen in past recessions, he added."_

Can someone explain what he means?
The first, and last, layups I experienced were as an Engineering Apprentice on the Fal (of Falmouth) with a trot of 6 tankers. It only lasted a week or so as I was transferred from a ship in dry-dock in an administrative cock-up. Apparently the Marine Super didn't have the authority to mess about with the Engineering Apprentices.
It was pity because it was the greatest gig in the company, (who will remain nameless, but you all know what it is because they 'owned" Falmouth!).
As far as I can remember (and it was nearly sixty years ago), the work consisted of sounding the double bottoms all round, getting your head down and then nipping ashore for a night on the town.

Just what has changed and why it is so difficult. I laid up my HiFi set in the garage in 2004 and it still works perfectly!
Isn't it the case that you can make any space air tight and flood it with an inert gas to preserve the modern technology devices to which the writer refers.


----------



## Bill.B (Oct 19, 2013)

Usual over dramatization from the press. If they have " wet" gyro compasses you can drain and clean them. Some of the spheres don't like sitting as may not start again. Some of the radios may have "CMOS" memory batteries which may run down and die and as such lose all the setups. Radio batteries will probably need to be replaced on reactivation. Some GMDSS equipment with batteries and hydrostatic releases may have expired so need replacing. All this is nothing that isn't done on a daily basis anyway. I would think the biggest PIA is all the recertification required. If they keep up with the certification then reactivation is a lot simpler.


----------



## kewl dude (Jun 1, 2008)

*Since the invention and use of steam ships on the Great Lakes*

Each fall it would take about three weeks to completely drain and empty all water from the vessel. Boilers would be taken completely apart, anti-freeze poured into toilet traps. The deck department would be gone in two days the engine and galley crew after three weeks.

Then in the spring this ritual would be repeated in reverse. 

It was a Professional Oiler with Hanna Line, that put pencil to paper and figured out it would cost the company about 20% of what they were paying. If they did not lay up the aft house just set it up like it usually was for the lay-up period using the existing 150# number 2 diesel fueled package boiler. 

Then run that boiler heating the whole after house including machinery spaces all winter. The first year it was tried, with this Oiler appointed as Ship Keeper, the Hanna Line ship I was on laid up cold just aft of her in Detroit.

So we visited with him before we went home then again when we came back in the spring. There had been no problems. So then the deck department was gone in two days followed by the engine and galley three days later, again the reverse in the spring. 

With most newer Great Lakers being diesel powered and having all housing aft above the engine room they all use this practice. Except now the whole crew is gone in two days.

Greg Hayden
Vista, CA USA


----------



## tiachapman (Mar 25, 2008)

SPENT 6 0R 7 MONTHS in the 60s on lay up care and maintance the company had 2 ore wagons there . remember the day i left to join one of their cargo boats in Leith , Falmouth to Leith some trek that was , when i got their sailed next day for dry dock in smiths on the Tees, 2 weeks in my home port. you could make it up if you ttied


----------



## cboots (Aug 16, 2004)

The reluctance of owners to place vessels in deep lay-up these days is largely due to the extremely high levels of debt that these vessels carry and the fact that this debt has to be serviced.
CBoots


----------



## John Dryden (Sep 26, 2009)

I don,t know about that,cboots.Maybe there are a few ships owned by jokers who paid in cash..ahha won,t mention which country they belong!


----------



## deemac15 (Jun 30, 2015)

Now, you're talking. It was the same during the late 70's, early 80's. Shipowners always defy science. Consotia Liner shipping has got to keep plugging away, but this time the hull oversupply can't be funded by debt.
China and Japan and Korea have so much tonnage on order or sold on long term leases at pre crash prices, that chartering will become state funded.
Germany did the same with its' "Dentists Ships", 40 years ago, (The german Govt gave huge tax breaks to savers who put their money into German new buildings. I don't think liner shipping will survive in its present state with the Far east cut backs, the oversupply of hulls and a small smaller amount of cargo carried at cheap fak rates.
Lay ups will be big business, never mind the technical problems. It's a business opportunity for lay up specialists


----------



## lakercapt (Jul 19, 2005)

*Lay up on the Great Lakes*

Each winter we tied the boat up at the end of December and fitted out again in late march.
It was during this period that any hull, unloading gear, hatch work etc repair or modifications was done on the deck.
Usually there were engineers working throughout this time overhauling engines, generators, pumps and anything else that was required.
The deck crew could usually finish their part in two days and head home for the winter, relaxing or upgrading their certificates etc.
I was normally happy to do nothingbbut take it easy.
If the egineers were finished early a shipkeeper was employed to see that nothing untoward happened and sounded the tanks on a regular basis and tended the moorings.


----------



## borderreiver (Oct 11, 2008)

The MT Woodburn was laid up for over 5 years. When a Greek company come to take her out of lay up. Used the engine compressors to lift the anchor they just made it. The ships gens worked ok. They had been worked every month to run a bilge pump transferring contents to a cargo tank.But accommodation would require completed rebuilding. Lot of toilet bowels split due to freezing contions.
Main engine turned every week. but the boilers had been open up after lay up and not put back.Bridge was a mess expect the radars and steering gear would have to be replaced.


----------



## sparks69 (Dec 18, 2005)

BP's Brunei Bay lay up operation seemed to work OK.


----------



## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

Met a Mate years ago who stood by a ship in Helsinki during the winter freeze .
He and an engineer met and married local Finnish girls during the stay!

Bob


----------



## twogrumpy (Apr 23, 2007)

sparks69 said:


> BP's Brunei Bay lay up operation seemed to work OK.


Maybe the difference is between a well organised and regulated layup service like BP Shipcare, and what some shipowners are prepared to pay.


----------



## steamer659 (Mar 18, 2009)

I've had a lot of experience in laying up vessels- both steam and motor. I have seen it done in different ways- maintaining crew, caretaker crew and no crew. 

Some of us developed lengthy lay up or "deactivation" specs which worked well in all three of the above cases. The proposed length of time of reactivation is what set the stage for which level of lay up was selected. I have been a member of an ROS (Reduced Operating Status) Crew, and Port Engineer for vessels in all three levels....

There's not enough space to describe some of the procedures, routines, repairs and other crap, but let's just say that when performed correctly- all three worked well...


----------



## dannic (Mar 10, 2013)

steamer659 said:


> I've had a lot of experience in laying up vessels- both steam and motor. I have seen it done in different ways- maintaining crew, caretaker crew and no crew.
> 
> Some of us developed lengthy lay up or "deactivation" specs which worked well in all three of the above cases. The proposed length of time of reactivation is what set the stage for which level of lay up was selected. I have been a member of an ROS (Reduced Operating Status) Crew, and Port Engineer for vessels in all three levels....
> 
> There's not enough space to describe some of the procedures, routines, repairs and other crap, but let's just say that when performed correctly- all three worked well...


But when not planned well ....laid-up Port Chalmers in Falmouth and we were going into town to see if any shop had more silica gel! Company had supplied some to do DGens, but nothing else!!Dont even mention the sewage system! Must have been horrible for whoever opened up engineroom spaces after.
Dannic.


----------



## Erimus (Feb 20, 2012)

Laying up seems to be out of favour this month....so far in January there has been 54 bulk carriers sold for scrapping.This equates to 4.4 million tonnes according to Braemer Brokers.....this is double that for same period 2015

Geoff


----------



## deemac15 (Jun 30, 2015)

Erimus said:


> Laying up seems to be out of favour this month....so far in January there has been 54 bulk carriers sold for scrapping.This equates to 4.4 million tonnes according to Braemer Brokers.....this is double that for same period 2015
> 
> Geoff


Hence my point about the opportunities for new businesses in a slump.
The price of steel is going to plummet further when all these extra layups go to scrap and emerge as bright new bars of fresh keels for those with cash and no unsecured debts.
From one perspective we can escape this mercantile recession because we no longer have a Merchant Navy which used to suffer from this repeated cycle of boom and bust.
However we no longer have that priceless heritage of knowledge and skill that kept the British economy afloat. We just have to seek more ways to harness that British tradition of stubborn determination that kept the lights on when taking water.


----------



## tiachapman (Mar 25, 2008)

54 eh they must love this at Ilang


----------

