LONG REPAIR JOB AT DOCK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27221, 26 October 1949, Page 6

LONG REPAIR JOB AT DOCK

The Bluff dredge, Murihiku, has been in the dry dock at Port Chalmers for nearly nine weeks now for a general overhaul and structural repair work. On present indications it seems likely that she will remain there for at least another six weeks, though it was hoped to have her completed within a month. Built about 45 years ago, the Murihiku, like all old ships, demands a longer repair job with each succeeding year. At present about 20 boilermakers are engaged on the job. Any

unskilled assistance that is required is provided by waterside workers. Among the work entailed is the repairing of hull plates and the superstructure underneath the dredging gear. Workers are dismantling the hcpper doors and tightening the joints, which have been loosened by ihe continual movement of rocks. Lifting gear is being overhauled and the bottom of the dredge is being scraped and cleaned prior to painting. Any defects in the buckets can be fixed at Bluff. When these repairs are ultimately completed, the whole dredge will receive two coats of paint.