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procedures are performed on the towboat when the opportunity
arises based on seasonality and business needs.
Normally a towboat is out of service for 10 to 12 calendar
days for the procedure so the work is performed during “off peak”
seasons--winter and early spring. Normally, 8 to 10 individuals
(mostly off-duty crew members) perform the procedures. The crew
members of a tugboat generally include a captain, pilot, chief
engineer, cook, mate and four deck-hands. The chief engineer is
responsible for the propulsion system and other mechanical items
and reports to the captain and to a shore-based manager of
engineering. One may become a chief engineer by on-the-job
experience or by formal training. Employees with 1 year
experience may become apprentice engineers assigned to a chief
engineer for training.
The procedures focus on the engine’s cylinder assemblies,
which are commonly referred to as the engine’s “power packs”.
Thus, a 16-cylinder engine would contain 16 power packs. The
power packs are removed from a towboat’s engines and disassembled
as part of this procedure so that their parts can be cleaned and
inspected. The process of accessing and removing a power pack is
detailed and labor intensive. A power pack weighs between 363
and 408 pounds and consists of a cylinder head, four exhaust
valves, a cylinder liner, a piston and compression rings, a
piston pin, a bearing insert, a piston carrier, a thrust washer,
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Last modified: May 25, 2011