Alewijnse Delivers Electrical Repairs on RV Belgica

System integrator Alewijnse Marine Systems has successfully completed electrical repairs on the Belgica, a research vessel owned by the Belgian state.

Alewijnse has also launched an appraisal of a possible limited lifetime extension for the ship.

RV Belgica suffered water damage to the engine room on the July 19, 2015, in which wiring, motors and pumps were damaged. Alewijnse was contracted to renew the damaged cables and replace some of the starter panels for various pumps and engines. The repairs were carried out at the Naval Base in Zeebrugge.

Alewijnse also began researching the feasibility of a limited lifetime extension for the vessel.

The vessel is the subject of a maintenance agreement between the Belgian Navy and Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque. Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque, part of Damen Shiprepair & Conversion, chose Alewijnse for the project because it had already successfully serviced equipment on board RV Belgica a number of times.

The vessel was christened in 1984 by Queen Fabiola, and is 50.9 metres long, 10 metres wide and draws 4.6 metres.

The ship is made available to Belgian scientists to carry out maritime scientific research. Activities include the monitoring of the water quality of the North Sea, where scientists continuously collect data on the biological, chemical, physical, geological and hydrodynamic processes in the region. In addition, RV Belgica is also a floating laboratory for researchers from Belgian universities and scientific institutes seeking to enlarge their knowledge of the marine environment.