During operations, a rudder is constantly under stress, such immense stress can cause cracking and tearing in different areas, which is why a comprehensive maintenance and repair plan is essential to keep your marine vessel up and running. It is important to know why the rudder is important and the vital role it plays in steering a ship. So, to put it into simple words, a ship's rudder is a flat sheet attached to the stern (or back), that moves back and forth as the captain steers. It works by directing the water to move past the ship in a certain way, pushing the front of the vessel to the right or left. It is important to navigate safely and for transport efficiency.
If the rudder becomes defective, the ship can no longer operate, even though the condition of the hull and machinery is satisfactory. The rudder being normally underwater, its condition can be observed only during a bottom inspection when the ship is docked.
Nereus provides the following services for rudder repairing:
- Rudder Blade repair, removal or installation
- Rudder Stock repair, removal or installation
- Rudder Horn repair
- Rudder Flap repair, removal, installation or isolation
- Permanent Weld repairs to erosion or galvanic corrosion damage
Nereus never fails to provide quality services, even in the most difficult conditions. Rudder being the fundamental element of a vessel requires regular maintenances to increase the ship’s efficiency. Nereus is the one-stop to all your underwater service needs.
ADVANTAGES
Early detection of any wear and tear in the rudder can prevent any dry-docking repairs in the future. Without an efficient rudder, a ship can’t operate efficiently.
- Underwater inspections allow the vessel owners to know about the condition of the rudder. These inspections point out if the rudder requires any repairs or maintenance work.
- During inspections, if some wet area is found in the rudder plate, it is likely that cracks have occurred in the rudder plate and seawater has ingressed. Even if water has entered the rudder, only the buoyancy of the rudder is lost and no major casualty will occur.
- However, internal parts of the rudder might corrode, therefore, the plug in the bottom plate of the rudder should be opened and water should be drained out.
- Corrosion/erosion (such as deep pitting corrosion) should be looked for in rudder/rudder horn plating, especially in welds. In extreme cases, the corrosion /erosion may cause a large fracture in the rudder.