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the remaining portion on the deck and install the new section of prefab- ricated pipe. Hot work was avoided by completing the on-board connec- tions with the Style 99 couplings, and all work was completed dockside. “I saved myself several thousand dollars on a marine chemist, several thousand dollars on cleaning the tanks, and the aggravation of waiting several years until the next drydock,” Parotta said, adding, “If you add all these costs, I would have been, con- servatively, $15,000 in the hole—all that, just to weld a little hole. When you’re doing all this, the boat is not available for work. By doing it the way we did, it was a fraction of the cost and it took us three hours to do it, compared to probably a week.” Parrotta adds that the fuel oil vent mechanisms are notoriously diffi cult to work with. Being above deck and exposed to salt water, varying weath- er conditions and damage, the vents need constant maintenance as well as testing to ensure proper function. The mechanisms don’t get serviced very of- ten—usually every four to fi ve years at drydock time. During that time, the threaded joints are susceptible to rust and are typically covered in multiple coats of paint, making the vents ex- tremely diffi cult to remove. Based on the success of previous ap- plications of the Style 99 couplings, Parrotta decided to ease future mainte- nance of the fuel oil vent mechanisms by cutting and rejoining the pipes with Victaulic plain-end couplings. This allows personnel to remove the vent for servicing by simply loosening two bolts and removing the coupling from the joint. Reinstallation is as quick as the initial installation. “It makes our job effortless,” said Parrotta, adding that he has completed this work on two of the three tugboats based in Baltimore, and is recommending it to other McAllister port engineers. Proven Performance = Economy of Scale The Victaulic Style 99 Plain End Roust-A-Bout Coupling has proven advantageous for McAllister Towing & Transportation in multiple ways, from reducing time out of service, to limiting repair costs and safety hazards. Parrotta said of the solution: “My goal is to do the job as effi ciently and safely as possible, and with the least amount of stress and time. If I save time, I save money for the company and reduce the time the tug is not available to do its job. And it’s being done safely, and with a reliable product. I’m happy. I’ve been using [Victaulic couplings] for years, and I’ve never had a prob- lem.” Optimizing his fl eet – that’s job ONE for Parotta. For over 150 years, McAllister has been coming up with similar solutions to their operational issues. So can you. www.marinelink.com MN MAR14 Layout 32-49.indd 35 2/21/2014 3:25:57 PM
