© Pekka Leino
Specialised vessels receive surface treatment in Rauma
RMC Production Manager Markku Uusitalo (to the right) appreciated that FSP achieved high-quality results. FSP Project Leader Juha Granholm attributes the vessels’ durable surface to the high-quality surface treatment they underwent.
During 2015, Rauma Marine Constructions Oy (RMC) carried out modifications to icebreaker Otso and to oil spill response vessel Louhi. FSP served as the main partner in the project, and was responsible for the specialised vessels’ surface treatment.
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ccording to Rauma Marine Constructions Production Manager Markku Uusitalo, the shipyard benefited from its partnership with FSP during the modification project. ”Our choice to collaborate with FSP was the result of a competitive tendering process. During the projects themselves, we appreciated that FSP achieved high-quality results, ensured reliability of delivery, and adhered to the agreed schedule," Uusitalo recounts. ”The modification projects were completed on a tight schedule, and a short lead time thus emerged as a crucial factor in the surface treatment process. FSP had the capacity to adjust to an increased workload, without compromising quality.” RMC was responsible for converting icebreaker Otso into a multipurpose vessel at Rauma Shipyard. The project sought to create an icebreaker capable of operating across seas and oceans anywhere on the planet, and after the modifications were completed, the vessel set a course for the Arctic waters of Greenland. Launched in 1985, Otso was originally intended to operate in the Baltic Sea.
Turnkey project The modifications carried out to Otso proved wide-ranging as well as demanding. The underwater section of the hull was strengthened to an ”officially” ice-proof standard. The project also entailed modernising the superstructure as well as adding a helicopter deck, lifeboats and an anti-roll tank. The vessel also underwent annual maintenance. The vessel’s length overall is 99 metres, and its beam 24 metres. FSP carried out the surface treatment of the vessel’s facade, tanks, anti-roll tank and other parts of the superstructure as a turnkey project. The project comprised shot and sand blasting as well as painting work, and required the efforts of up to 15 employees. ”As the project advanced, the amount of surface treatment work required increased. And due to the high quality of that work, the vessel is now equipped with a durable surface that will serve it well as it leaves the Baltic Sea for the harsh high-salinity conditions of the oceans," says FSP Project Leader Juha Granholm.
Environmental awareness is the key ”We also appreciated FSP’s expertise with regard to environmental awareness and reporting, which highlight e.g. paint consumption, VOC emissions and generated waste," Uusitalo continues. Multipurpose vessel Louhi is used to carry out oil spill and environmental damage response missions, and also serves as a maintenance vessel for the Finnish Navy. Owned by the Finnish Environment Institute and manned and operated by the Navy, the vessel measures 71 metres in length and 14 metres in width. ■
• Rauma Marine Constructions Ltd was founded in 2014 to continue Rauma’s shipbuilding traditions. • Finnish-owned shipbuilding company. • Business model based on strategic partnerships. • Focuses on the construction of offshore structures, car ferries and specialised vessels such as icebreakers and navy vessels.
FOR SURFACE PROTECTION ➤
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