April 2025

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Following discussions with Cammell Laird, a window of opportunity appeared that would allow us to dry dock the vessel. As the yard wanted to get us in before the end of the month, time was tight. A work specification was drawn up by Chris our Chief Engineer, which included the routine work of hull cleaning and painting, anode replacement and NDT checking of hull thickness, but also the installation of a high-level condenser suction. As regular followers will recall, the existing suction is adjacent to the keel, so in shallow waters (eg River Weaver) silt is sucked up into the condenser which overheated with resultant leaking tubes and sea water getting into the boiler. This required a condenser strip-down to repair and a boiler clean. By installing the high-level suction, we have the opportunity to switch from the keel suction to the higher level to avoid the silting problem. As we are dealing with a 112-year-old vessel, we will not be too surprised if the dry-docking throws up other issues that require attention. With haste, and in the knowledge that Kerne would go onto dry dock unpowered and ‘light-ship’ we started emptying the vessel of all things that would be in the way of the work to be carried out and for the in-board as well as out-board checking of the hull. Having been given the date of Monday 28th April, it was all hands to the pumps to ready the ship for her trip across the Mersey in the condition required by the yard. In order to accommodate all the ‘stuff ‘ coming off the ship we needed to re-organise our shore-based container and trailer, but finally on Saturday 26th April, we were ready to go. As we were sailing unpowered across to the yard towage was necessary and this was kindly supplied by Messrs Svitzer who nudged Kerne into Cammell Laird No 6 Dock, and placed her, starboard side to the dock wall, behind the Polish-built Ro-Ro Ferry MV Finnlaggen where she is set to remain for the next 4 weeks or so. Once the dock was drained little time was wasted in getting the high-pressure jetwash to work removing 4+ years of marine growth from the hull in readiness for the NDT. With grateful thanks to Messrs Cammell Laird and Svitzer work will move on apace given the time frame.

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