Thordon Bearings Unveils New Water-lubricated Shaft Seal
Thordon Bearings has debuted a new propeller shaft seal for the commercial shipping industry featuring a unique Safe Return to Port (SRTP) design.Completing the COMPAC open seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearing system, Thordon's new BlueWater Seal is described by the manufacturer as a cost effective, commercial grade axial lip seal specifically designed for merchant shipping fleets. It incorporates Thordon’s emergency SRTP capability, first used in the company’s TG100 and…
Canadian Icebreaker's Thordon Bearings Stand the Test of Time
A Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) icebreaker is helping to keep shipping moving on the Great Lakes throughout the winter with a set of Thordon Bearings’ propeller shaft bearings that were fitted more than 30 years ago.Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Griffon, the oldest vessel of the CCG’s Type 1100 series, was retrofitted with a set of four Thordon XL polymer stave bearings in 1990, 20 years into her service life. Sister ships received Thordon bearings from new throughout the 1980s.
Canadian Coast Guard Opts for Thordon Bearings
CCGS Terry Fox, one the largest icebreakers in the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) fleet, has returned to service with new Thordon propeller shaft bearings after concluding that fitting laminate phenolic bearings would extend drydock time and costs.The 88-meter-long vessel, built in the 1980s, had been operating Thordon’s water lubricated elastomeric polymer bearings on both shafts for 24 years. Then in 2018 the port shaft was retrofitted with a European made laminate phenolic-type bearing as part of a shaft alignment contract with the manufacturer.In December 2020…
Thordon Bearings Names Groves VP of Sales
Thordon Bearings has promoted Scott Groves to Vice President – Sales, with a mandate to “grow profitable sales” and build upon the company’s leading position in the global pollution-free bearings and seals markets. He officially started in his new role on March 11, 2021.Terry McGowan, CEO and President, Thomson-Gordon Group, Thordon Bearings’ parent company, said, “I am very pleased to announce that Scott has accepted the VP Sales position. As interim sales director, he has thrown himself into the role, helping us navigate uncertain and challenging times.
Mactech Adds Thordon Portfolio
Mactech Inc has joined Thordon Bearings’ global network of sales and service agents to support the Canadian manufacturer in the Wisconsin, Michigan, Chicago, Minnesota and the USA Great Lakes areas.Mactech develops and manufactures its own product line for in-field machining and has an active on-site service division, however, it is the first time the company has agreed to partner with another manufacturer.The Minnesota-headquartered leader in portable machining, measuring and…
Oil-to-water Conversions Success for Great Lakes Bulkers
The oil-to-water lubricated tailshaft conversion Thordon Bearings carried out last year to the 26,260dwt Great Lakes Fleet-managed bulk carrier SS John G. Munson has successfully completed its first season as a diesel-powered ship.The shaft conversion of the 1952-built self-unloader formed a key part of the mammoth 12-month power conversion project completed last year by Fincantieri’s Bay Shipbuilding yard, in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.The vessel’s steam propulsion plant was replaced with an energy efficient medium-speed diesel arrangement.
Alexis Marine To Retrofit Rivertough to Salt Lugger
Louisiana-based inland workboat operator Alexis Marine has awarded a supply contract to Thordon Bearings for the retrofitting of 6in diameter RiverTough bearings to MV Kristin Alexis, the 60ft twin-screw towboat built by Bollinger Shipyard in 1969.Both the vessel’s shafts will be withdrawn at New Orleans yard Bayou Fabricators and Machine Works, where the original rubber bearings will be replaced with Thordon’s RiverTough tailshaft bearings.The polymer bearing manufacturer will…
Hornblower Flagship Retrofits with Thordon's Shaft Seals
Thordon Bearings’ US West Coast Distributor, Pacific Marine Equipment has successfully completed the installation of a pair of TG100 mechanical propeller shaft seals to Hornblower Cruises & Events’ 1000-passenger capacity twin screw flagship, Inspiration Hornblower. Hornblower, one of the leading river cruise operators in the U.S., operates a fleet of 70 sightseeing and dinner cruise vessels in several cities across the Golden State, the United States and Canada. Todd Terry, President, Pacific Marine Equipment, Thordon Bearings’ U.S.
Bearing System Sees No Wear After 20,000 Hours
After nine years of operation in the harsh, abrasive waters of Alaska’s Yukon River, aboard Inland Barge Service’s push boat Ramona, Thordon Bearings’ RiverTough water-lubricated tail-shaft bearing system has emerged completely free of wear and tear, according tot the manufacturer. The performance of the RiverTough bearings in waters renowned for their high content of gritty glacial silt came to light when the 16-meter workboat’s cracked struts underwent repair in dry-dock. Charles Hnilicka…
20+ Year COMPAC Wear in Canadian Navy Patrol Frigates
Press release - The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is no stranger when it comes to using Thordon COMPAC propeller shaft bearings in its vessels. Over two decades ago, in May 1992, the RCN (then known as the Canadian Navy) back-fitted its lead frigate, HMCS Halifax, with Thordon COMPAC. The first of 12 new patrol frigates, the RCN selected Halifax as the exemplary ship to set a precedent for her sister ships and represented what the RCN then deemed to be “the most advanced warship in the world”.
Partnership Promotes Seawater Lubrication
Thordon Bearings Inc. signed a letter of intent (LOI) under which it will cooperate with MSR Gryfia of Poland to promote the conversion of ships to an open seawater lubricated propeller shaft Thordon bearing system from a sealed oil lubricated propeller shaft bearing system. The LOI will create an action plan in which a Ship Conversion Team, comprised of MSR Gryfia and Thordon Bearings representatives, that promotes this initiative to the marine community. The goal of this movement…