The ‘Vlieland’ is one of the vessels operated by Kustvaart Harlingen, sailing along the entire European coastline to collect and deliver mainly bulk cargo. The vessel, with a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 6,662 tonnes, was in the port of Harlingen at the beginning of September for a major maintenance overhaul. An ideal opportunity, while the ship was safely in port, to learn more about the benefits of the Interflon lubricants that skipper and owner Roelof Rientjes has come to rely on aboard his now 21-year-old vessel.
Coastal shipping is a rewarding profession, but also a demanding one. It takes hard work to deliver the required cargo to the right location at the agreed time. And the market can sometimes be just as unpredictable as the coastal waters themselves. Roelof Rientjes is the owner and captain of the Vlieland. “I’ve been sailing all my life,” he says. “I was still very young when I started joining my father on his ship during the school holidays. Our daughter also spent the first four years of her life on board. When she reached school age, we found a home ashore. We didn’t feel there was any need to send her to boarding school.”
Maintenance
The Vlieland was delivered in 2005 and christened by Rientjes’ wife at the end of that year. Since then, the vessel has transported a wide variety of products, including grain, paper, timber and salt. It operates along virtually the entire European coastline, from the warm Mediterranean Sea to the cold Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia between Sweden and Finland. This is possible partly because the vessel was built to Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A, making it suitable for navigation in severe ice conditions. “If it freezes over completely here, however, there is little you can do other than have an icebreaker tow you through,” Rientjes explains. “Those are tough conditions for a ship. We were reminded of that recently when we brought the vessel ashore for maintenance at Damen Shiprepair in the port of Harlingen. We found damage on the underside of the hull, which we are of course taking care of as part of this major maintenance overhaul.”
The maintenance work will take several weeks and includes extensive lubrication work. A large proportion of the moving components above deck are lubricated with Interflon products. Rientjes still remembers the first Interflon order – greases, oils and various cleaners – being personally delivered by a technical advisor. “He even drove all the way to Hamburg for it and immediately gave the crew all the information they needed about the lubricants!”
Seeing is believing
For Rientjes, choosing Interflon products has now become an obvious choice. In addition to their excellent lubricating performance and PFAS-free properties, the technical team is particularly impressed by the lubricants’ excellent adhesion. Despite the harsh marine environment, where rain, wind and salt water continuously batter the equipment above deck, the grease remains firmly in place and resists being washed away. “We now use Interflon lubricants based on MicPol® technology in many different applications, as well as Interflon cleaners,” Rientjes continues.
Roelof Rientjes
Captain/Owner of the Vlieland
“We use Interflon for all kinds of applications: the anchor winches, steel wire ropes, the deck crane and even the rubber door seals. At sea, you simply need to be able to rely on your lubricants. Interflon stays in place, even in salt water and under heavy loads, and because it lasts much longer, it ultimately saves us money.”
“Grease LS2 is used for the anchor winches, Interflon Lube EP for steel wire ropes, and Interflon Grease aerosol as a penetrating grease for spindles and the chain drive of the deck crane. Interflon Lube TF aerosol is used to keep the rubber door seals in good condition.”
Interflon Grease LS2 is used on the anchor winches because it remains firmly in place even when exposed to salt water and heavy loads, reducing the need for frequent relubrication.
“In the meantime, we have also started lubricating several ballast pumps below deck, and the ‘Terschelling’ – another vessel operated by Kustvaart Harlingen – has also switched to Interflon products. Admittedly, the products are a little more expensive, but if a grease stays in place eight times longer and you no longer need to relubricate every two or three weeks, anyone can see that the additional cost pays for itself in no time.”
