John Cockerill teams simultaneously renovate two 1,000-ton doorboats at Marseille’s Grand Port Maritime

The John Cockerill teams have taken up a challenge, or rather two, and not the least: the renovation of two gateboats entrusted to the Services business by the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille Fos.

These few figures illustrate the scale of this double renovation: 1,000 tonnes for the larger of the two gateboats, 70 tonnes of metal structures replaced, notably on the watertight walls, but also 180 ml of watertight joints replaced by an innovative and more reliable system, 25 tonnes of wood, 300 anodes and finally more than 2,000 m² of paint surface reworked.

The teams in the South of France carried out this extensive work within the allotted 8-week timeframe: restoration of the hull and structure following a survey, then replacement of the waterproofing systems and, finally, the final stage of anti-corrosion treatment of the hull carried out by our partner. They were also able to count on the expertise of the GPMM-based workshop teams for all the mechanical work.

Renovating a doorboat is not a first for our teams, but carrying out two projects simultaneously spiced up the challenge, which was successfully met.