MTB Successfully Designs, Manufactures, and Installs a Stuffing Box Steering Shaft Seal

Background

A vessel equipped with a single steering gear shaft seal encountered a critical failure while still in operation. Because the ship had not yet been scheduled for dry-docking, the damaged seal allowed seawater to enter the vessel, posing a serious safety risk and requiring immediate action.

Challenge

Replacing the original sealing system with a new one would have been extremely costly and time-consuming. Additionally, dry-docking the vessel would have disrupted the shipowner’s operating schedule and increased expenses.
Several technical solutions were proposed, but each had limitations in terms of cost, complexity, or installation feasibility while the vessel remained afloat.

MTB’s Solution

MTB evaluated all options and selected the most effective approach: designing a customized stuffing-box–type shaft seal to replace the failed unit.

Key advantages of this solution:
• Fully compatible with the existing shaft arrangement, with no need for dry-docking.
• Fast manufacturing and direct onboard installation.
• Installation completed while the vessel remained in operation, minimizing downtime and cost.

MTB successfully designed, manufactured, and installed the customized stuffing box seal, ensuring full compatibility with the vessel’s steering system and operating conditions.

Results

The installation was completed one month ago. Since then, the new stuffing box seal has been operating smoothly with no leakage reported.
The shipowner has provided positive feedback, confirming:

• Stable and reliable sealing performance.
• No interruptions to vessel operations during the installation.

Significant cost and time savings compared to replacing the entire seal system.