When a 98,000 DWT bulk carrier battled severe weather conditions during its Pacific Ocean crossing, the vessel's accommodation gangway sustained catastrophic structural damage from heavy seas and violent ship movements. The gangway—a critical safety component that provides the primary means of safe crew access between vessel and shore—suffered twisted structural members, fractured welds, bent stanchions and compromised mechanical systems. Upon arrival at Diliskelesi Port in Izmit with a full cargo of scrap metal, the vessel faced a critical situation: the gangway was deemed unsafe for use, creating both a regulatory compliance issue and a practical operational crisis.
The challenge extended beyond simple repair work. Maritime regulations mandate that all vessels maintain functioning accommodation ladders as essential safety equipment and port state control inspections could detain vessels with defective gangways. The vessel's tight scheduling—with cargo operations already underway and a fixed departure window—demanded that repairs be completed without disrupting commercial operations or causing delays that would trigger penalty clauses. Additionally, the gangway's substantial weight (exceeding 3 tonnes) and complex structural geometry required specialized heavy-lift equipment, precision engineering capabilities and experienced marine welders.
Seaway Ship Services mobilized a comprehensive repair response that would showcase our full spectrum of capabilities: structural engineering, heavy-lift operations, certified welding, load testing and classification society coordination. Our team executed a complete gangway restoration program including dismantling the damaged structure using ship's cranes and mobile lifting equipment, transporting the gangway to our shore-side workshop facility for detailed repair, conducting extensive structural analysis and weld repairs, performing precision alignment and mechanical restoration, executing certified load testing to 150% of safe working load, obtaining classification society approval and reinstalling the fully certified gangway—all within an aggressive 4-day timeline that aligned perfectly with the vessel's cargo operations schedule.
