Shipyard Work Continues

Work on connecting the new MAN Generators and CARRIER Chiller units continue onboard the Africa Mercy. The ship has now left drydock in is docked inside the shipyard.

Carrier Chiller unit in place ready to be wired up.

Genset in place and being hooked up. Deck plates going back in.

Cabling being run and getting in place to hook up.

photos Chuck Dodgen

Putting It All Together.

Special projects team members continue working on projects aboard the Africa Mercy in dry dock in Durban, South Africa.

Special project crew member, Arie Roest, works on
the electrical system for the control panels.



One of the two new Carrier air conditioning units being installed



Work has started putting down framing for the deck plating.

Note the steps that have been attached to the generator foundation



Controlmatic has mounted the control boxes for the generators in
preparation for wiring the system together. One of the gensets is visible in
the background and the box in the foreground



Shipyard workers continue readying more pipe for the project.

Photos courtesy of Mercy Ships and Chuck Dodgen.

Cabling Trays Being Mounted

Work is progressing on the wiring, cabling and reconnecting of the newly installed MAN Generator units onboard the Africa Mercy.

Cabling trays being mounted for the wiring of the units.

photos courtesy of Chuck Dodgen.

The Work Continues...

The four new MAN generators are now in position and being hooked up to fuel pipes, exhaust pipes and cables. Below is a shock absorber, on which the generator sits, which will help to reduce vibrations and noise. These shock absorbers are critical to absorb vibrations to ensure a quiet surround in the hospital and surgery suites.

Below, one of the two new Carrier air conditioning units, and (in the background) the hole in the ship's side through which they came.

Below, the smoke stack slowly changing shape, as six old exhaust pipes have been removed...

...(old exhaust pipes on the dock waiting to be taken away for scrap)...

...to be replaced by four new exhaust pipes for the four new generators.

Below, all these pipes and valves have to go back into the ship and be reconnected in the right order, to carry diesel fuel, heavy fuel, fresh water, salt water etc etc.

And so the work continues. Good luck shipyard workers and Africa Mercy crew!

Photos and text Olly Peet

Reaching The Midway Point

Ken Berry, Project Manager reports from Durban that the Generator Replacement Project has reached its midway point with the new generator sets and associated equipment safely installed onboard and the hole in the side of the ship welded up. The Technical crews are busy reinstalling the existing piping and equipment that had to be temporarily removed to allow the shifting of the new generator sets from the hole in the hull to their proper resting places in the Forward and Aft Generator rooms. New piping systems, racks for the new power cables and new exhaust lines are starting to be installed. The existing Main Switchboard is being upgraded to accept the new generators and includes an up-to-date Power Management System, that will simplify operating the system and provide a more secure power source to critical areas of the ship, especially the hospital.

Another project that has reached its midway point is the installation of the new Main Engine Control System. Literally four miles (6 KM) of signal cabling is currently being installed to connect all the Main Engines to the new control gear located on the Bridge and in the Control Room. The ‘cable pulling’ team is made up primarily of Dutch Electricians and Technicians, who assembled onboard the Africa Mercy to tackle the installation of this extensive system that requires a large range of technical disciplines to successfully install. Other project work is ongoing in the Hospital, galley, pool and other areas around the ship, to make the ship more accommodating for the crew and more effective as a tool of service to our patients while in Field Service.

Connecting the Generators

All the new generators are now in place onboard the Africa Mercy and in the process of being connected to the various systems and controls.



Covered in a tarpaulin for protection, one of the new
generators sits in place waiting to be connected.

Photo courtesy of Chuck Dodgen

Closing The Hole In The Hull

With all the generator sets safely onboard, a welding team
welded the entry hole in the hull of the Africa Mercy shut.