Client: BAE Systems
Location: Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth
Project: Maintenance of Vanguard class submarines
Background
The Royal Navy has four Vanguard class submarines that undergo periodical refit at the Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth. Denholm Industrial Services carried out the grit blasting and coating works, with the associated access and encapsulation, on the Vanguard class submarines under refit at the Devonport Royal Dockyard over a 13 year extended period.
The Challenge
Denholm Industrial Services overcame a number of challenges:
- The works were originally on the first of class, HMS Vanguard but over time extended to all four Vanguard class vessels
- There was a requirement to achieve a 10% reduction in price whilst maintaining programme scope
- Managing the regularly changing vessel schedules
- Managing additional tasks with an in-house department to ensure programme milestones were achieved
- Sharing best practice and innovation
Our Solution
The works were successfully completed over an extended period and accommodated frequently changing vessel schedules. A collaborative approach with the in-house blasting and painting team was key to ensuring programme milestones were met.
Throughout the project best practice and innovation were applied, sharing safety, time and cost benefits with BAE Systems. Examples include:
- A standalone bespoke breathing air compressor to mitigate downtime
- An intrinsically safe communications system that permitted constant, real time communication whilst spraying operations were ongoing
- Custom-built fume abatement units with a series of specialist filters. These abated the fumes to practically zero at the point of exhaust and were safe for zone rated areas
- A system to remove the corrosion on the internal surfaces of the HP air bottles where conventional methods would not work
Throughout the 13 year period, Denholm Industrial Services completed the works without a single RIDDOR reportable incident.