All Good Here

A leaning scaffold isn’t typically something you want to shout about but in the case of this job for Lyttelton Engineering the arrangement bought the client valuable maintenance time.

The scaffolds in the image above were built to provide maintenance access to the ship’s two masts. They were erected while the vessel was on the water, next to Wharf Two in Lyttleton Port.

“The challenge with building scaffolding structures on vessels on the water is that nothing is level,” said Nick Pfahlert, a director at Upright Scaffolding. “The benefit is that maintenance work can begin on the wharf rather than waiting for the vessel to enter dry dock.”

“To scaffold on water like this successfully, you need additional bracing and  ties into the steel mast so that the scaffold  remains in a position of strength,” said Nick. “On this occasion, due to the vessel geometry, the bow was slightly lower than the stern. As a result, the masts and scaffold were on a lean but still safe – and ready for their eventual trip across the harbour  into the dry dock.”

As part of the docking process, the vessel was supported off wooden blocks for stabilisation before the water was pumped out.

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