Along with a party of leading B2B journalists we watched as one of the world's largest fully rigged sailing ships, the Swedish built Götheborg III, sailed into the port of London on the homeward leg of a two year voyage. The vessel is an exact replica of Götheborg I, one of the famous East Indiamen which plied the lucrative trade routes from Europe to China in the seventeenth century, and is sponsored by a number of international organisations. These include our client SKF, which has provided a range of bearings, seals, lubrication and condition monitoring systems used on critical onboard equipment.

The original vessel ran aground in the entrance to its home port of Götheborg on 12th September 1745 on the return from its third trip to China, which had lasted for over two and a half years. Although all of the crew and much of the valuable cargo of tea, porcelain, silk and spices were saved, the Götheborg sank and it was not until 1986 that a marine archaeological expedition began to salvage what was left of the vessel. This project lasted six years and culminated in an exciting programme to construct an exact and fully working replica, with the keel being laid down in 1995 and the first sea trials being carried out almost ten years later.

Although the new vessel is built to the original plans, with a length of 58.5m, beam of 11m, almost 2,000m of sail and a displacement of 1,150 tonnes, modern marine regulations dictate that the Götheborg III had to be built to ensure the safety of the vessel and its crew. As a result, buried in the traditional framework of the ship is some of the latest technology, including five watertight steel bulkheads that reach up to the upper deck for maximum safety at sea, two main engines with adjustable propellers and a combined output of 800kW for manoeuvring in ports and narrow channels, and two main generators powered by auxiliary engines capable of producing 180 kW for the onboard power supply. In total, there are around 40 different built-in systems for propulsion, power, heating, water, sanitation, ventilation, pumping firefighting, communication and navigation.

As an official partner to the project, SKF provided technical and commercial support and the supply of essential components. These included bearings and units for electric motors, compressors and propeller shafts, seals in pumps and fans, lubrication systems in the engine room and, of perhaps greatest importance, condition monitoring systems for both onboard and remote assessment of critical systems.

Sponsorship of the Götheborg III is part of SKF's centenary celebrations, which we've been supporting with media coverage and various press trips; these included taking a party of 13 journalists to Sweden earlier this year and the recent press event on board the Götheborg III.

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You can find more information about the Götheborg III here and about SKF here.