Steerprop helped futureproof Alfons Hakans' ASD tug Artemis

HELSINKI - March 31, 2022 - PRLog -- Back in 2019, the technical department at Alfons Hakans noticed a need to modernise and upgrade the propulsion control system on its Azimuth Stern Drive tug Artemis. It was no longer possible to get spare parts for its original control system; and although it was still reliable, for safety reasons the company decided to look for reasonable solutions for a full-scale upgrade.

Minimal downtime

The final order was confirmed at the end of 2020. First, Steerprop paid a few visits to get to know Artemis and its operations. During these visits, a timetable was set to ensure the downtime of the tug was kept to a minimum.

To decrease the amount of downtime, Hakans' own workers and subcontractors started preliminary works, such as installing new cables and manufacturing foundations for electric cabinets, whilst the tug was still operating normally. Meanwhile, Steerprop was building the entire control system at their workshop.

Connecting the new cables to different units was the most time-consuming part, and it was completed on schedule. After seven days of work, it was time to run a test. During the sea trials, the adjusting of the final parameters was easily done as it had been considered already when planning the software.

Increased reliability

From the beginning of the installation to final approval from Alfons Hakans, installing the new control system took nine days in total.

Remote service diagnostics streamline maintenance

From Steerprop's point of view, the co-operation with Alfons Hakans went extremely well. Technical Sales Manager Esa Peltomaa tells that Steerprop designers were in frequent contact with the personnel on board to ensure that the new system fitted existing spaces and locations as well as fulfilled the wishes of end-users.

Contacts

Esa Peltomaa
Technical Sales Manager
+358 44 281 8079
esa.peltomaa@steerprop.com