The Curacao Drydock Company, Inc. of Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, recently opened a propeller service station that can accommodate propellers of nearly any type and size. The station came about by an agreement with Lips B.V. of Holland whereby several Curacao Drydock engineers, technicians, and welding specialists underwent an extensive theoretical and practical training course for the surveying, modifying, repairing, and general servicing of propellers. Extensive machinery was installed and special tools and materials were purchased in order to be able to offer the yard's clients another complete and efficient service.
Propellers need not belong to vessels that dock at Curacao Drydock for surveys and repairs. Interestingly, several shipowners have already sent loose damaged propellers to the yard and, once repaired, had them collected and stored onboard as the spare. Opened only for a few months, the propeller service station has repaired a considerable number of propellers, thus complementing the many repair services already offered by the Curacao Drydock.
Earlier in 1980, Curacao Drydock also concluded a service station agreement with the maker of S.E.M.T. Pielstick engines. Again, engineers and technicians attended training courses in France to acquire the specialized know-how to overhaul and repair these engines.
These repair services were thus started and added to the existing ones at Curacao Drydock, which include other major manufacturers of marine propulsion machinery, notably Burmeister & Wain, Gotaverken, M.A.N., Stork-Werkspoor Diesel, and Sulzer, among others, and the makers of specialized equipment and suppliers of services such as Simplex stern tube seals, Ascargo and MacGregor hatch covers, Chockfast epoxy chocking systems, Nicol & Andrew in situ machining, honing, and grinding, and Metalock repairs.