Thordon Bearings has updated its TG100 seal installation requirements to facilitate cost-effective installation at all shipyards with the release of new instructional videos. Shipyard staff can quickly and easily install the state-of-the-art seal themselves, reducing the overall costs of TG100 procurement.
Craig Carter, Thordon Bearings Director of Marketing and Customer Service, said: “Based on our experience at several shipyards in both North and South America from more than 150 TG100 seal installations to date, the feedback from our customers is that installation of a TG100 seal is so straightforward that the need for specialist seal technicians is unnecessary.”
In addition to instructions detailed in its TG100 Installation & Operation Manual, Thordon has produced a three-minute YouTube video outlining the steps shipyards need to take to achieve the perfect TG100 install. Additionally, a video has also been produced to guide shipyards through the ten-step process to prepare the TG100 seal for shaft withdrawal.
To ensure that installation remains under warranty, a simple registration form must be completed by either the shipyard or the vessel owner.
Jason Perry, Thordon Bearings’ Business Development Manager – USA, said: “Of course, a Thordon Global Service and Support(GSS) specialist can still be appointed to oversee the installation, but the ability to easily install the seals themselves is a real benefit for those shipyards looking to reduce the overall cost of a TG100 seal installation. We hope this initiative will result in renewed market growth for the revolutionary seal. If you can read a tape measure and change a tire, you can install a TG100!”
With hundreds of TG100s in service, the state-of-the-art seal incorporates an important safety component allowing vessels to return safely to the nearest port should the primary seal undertake heavy damage.
This emergency inflatable safety seal was put to good use in February 2019, when it was successfully deployed on a 70ft(21m) long workboat following multiple shaft failures. Its activation prevented the vessel from sinking.