Cruise ship exhaust maintenance takes a professional around the world
– It’s our job to go through the hardest part of the ship. We work on the ropes, Marko Lipponen
explains.
The ship’s exhaust pipe, or pipe, can only be accessed from the top of the pipe or through a small manhole at the root of the pipe.
– Experience has taught us that it is easier to work up the pipe than down it.
Machines and men are lowered into the exhaust pipe by means of ropes. The work is done both on a harness and on a working platform that is lowered down the chimney.
– Once the working method is understood and learned, the work goes well. I have never had a fear of confined spaces or of the dark. Working with a harness is easy on the buttocks, but fortunately many jobs can be done on a working platform where you can stand.
Safety at work is a must
Men working on the exhaust pipes of cruise ships are trained to work with ropes. They have learnt from, among others, mountaineering specialist Ari Piela, who is the first mountaineering specialist to work on the Mt. Everest from the Tibetan side.
– We were trained really well in Pansio for rope work. Lifting styles, knot fixings and descenders were studied in detail. At the site itself, we always have several men with us to make sure that everything is in order and that the work is done safely,” says Marko Lipponen.
When safety has been carefully managed and the work well planned, there have been no accidents in difficult conditions.
– Of course, in a long horn with the hatches open, there is a strong current of air. This causes a fair amount of debris to come out of the chimney, which then splashes into the eyes and ears. Even this has been overcome with good safety equipment.
Marko Lipponen believes that the high temperature in the working area is something to be taken seriously.
– The exhaust pipe is as hot as an oven. Carry plenty of water and split your shifts into shifts of a few hours so that you don’t get exhausted in the chimney.
7 times a year across the Atlantic
Marko Lipponen has worked in Pansio for 30 years. He started working on exhaust pipe ropes on cruise ships in 2014. Since then, he has become familiar with the seas of the world.
– The first trips were to Australia. Since then, a lot of work has been done on American cruise ships in the Caribbean. One year I crossed the Atlantic seven times. I’ve also been to South America and Alaska for work,” he says.
He’s been happy with his travel work.
– I’ve never felt like changing jobs,” he laughs.
While travelling around the world, he has found that working in different cultures requires a long nose and adaptability.
– Even though we plan our work carefully before we leave for Pansio, there are always surprises on the site. And even if we work on ships from the same shipowner, the working cultures and systems may differ a lot. On a ship, it’s always the captain who decides.
At work, we have also become accustomed to fast departures. Usually, the trips are well planned and scheduled, but Marko remembers that sometimes a trip has started with two hours’ notice.
At the height of the season, work has been interrupted. But the man’s mind is on the seas of the world – even in his free time.
– The plan was to celebrate his fiftieth birthday with a Caribbean cruise. But that’s now out of the question. Now I’ll have to celebrate on a river ferry in Jake or on a ferry,” he laughs.