Underwater Repairs

Hydrex has received the approval to carry out classification certified grade A wet welding

Hydrex awarded certificate for Grade A wet welding

Hydrex has received the approval to carry out classification certified Grade A wet welding. To guarantee the required high standard of these underwater welds, NDT tests were performed by ABS surveyors before the certificate was awarded. The certificate was given to carry out Grade A groove welding underwater. Most companies with a wet welding certificate can only carry out fillet welds and this often only to grade B or C. Cavitation or corrosion damage on rudders, clad welding, rope guard repairs, mewis duct repairs, can now be done with permanent welding. With a class B weld an inspection of the weld is required every three months. With class A welding the deadline for an inspection is much longer. This is decided by the attending surveyor on a case by case basis. Any required inspection will be for the underlying problem causing the damage and not for the welding work. An internal structural problem causing damage will not always be handled after the repair and will need to be followed up. For instance, doubler repairs can never be permanent because the doubler is installed over the damaged plating instead of replacing it (as is the case with insert repairs). With class A underwater welding only a note is made stating that the affected area needs to be looked at during the next scheduled inspection. This is very important for tankers as a clean class certificate is requested by most charterers. Even for non-class items like rope guards the certificate is useful because it shows customers that the diver/welders can carry out high quality underwater welding work. This is very important for offshore units where high quality standards need to be verified before welding operations like doubler repairs can be performed. Hydrex divers are not suddenly better welders. They always knew how to perform the best underwater welds. Their skills have now been officially recognised. Recently, Hydrex’s teams of diver/technicians carried out pipe replacements on two sisterships. These shuttle tankers were berthed in Rotterdam and Skagen respectively and experienced water ingress as a result of corroded scrubber cooling pipes. Exhaust scrubbers are systems that filter out all harmful toxins from exhaust gasses of marine diesel engines. These hazardous pollutants can severely corrode the pipes of the scrubber. The two vessels were on standby to transport oil from offshore oil fields whenever required. Going to drydock was therefore not an option and Hydrex was contacted to offer an afloat solution. A small team travelled to the location of the first vessel with one of the workboats to perform an inspection of the damaged pipe on both the waterside and the on-board side of the hull. This revealed that the scrubber outlet was corroded, causing the leak. Replacing the affected part of the pipe in its entirety was the only option. With the measurements of the inspection a detailed scope of work was devised and suggested to the customer. Because Hydrex could offer a start-to-finish afloat solution he gladly accepted the proposal. This meant that Hydrex would take care of the planning of the operation as well as the adjustment of the new pipe and its installation. As a result he was released of all the hassle surrounding the repair. He knew that Hydrex would take care of everything within the available time frame. A tailor-made mobdock was constructed at the fast response centre with the measurements taken during the preliminary inspection. The team installed this mobdock over the outlet of the pipe of the 270 m tanker berthed in Rotterdam. This allowed them to perform work inside the engine room without further water ingress. Because there was very little space the work

in, several of the frames around the pipe were first removed. Next the team cut away the corroded part of the old pipe. While the shell plating was prepared for the installation of the replacement pipe, a new diffuser and flange were constructed. This was done on-site by the diver/technicians. The pipe was then positioned and secured with a full penetration weld. The new flange was also installed. Next and independent inspector carried out NDT testing of the welding work. To prevent the new pipe from corroding, the inside was coated with Ecospeed. This product is produced by Hydrex sister company Subsea Industries. Ecospeed is highly chemically resistant. Taking into account the nature of the process taking place inside a scrubber, this is essential for a lasting protection of the pipe. The team then installed the new diffuser and repositioned the frames around the pipe. Initially the customer only wanted Hydrex to perform the replacement on one ship, but satisfied with the first operation he asked Hydrex to carry out the same on the 276 m sistership. This second shuttle tanker was berthed in Skagen, Denmark.

New Zealand contract for Phoenix

In the early hours of December 23 rd , an urgent inquiry was received from a Phoenix client requesting a proposal and timeline for a dive team to mobilise immediately to international waters 12 miles from the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The situation was complicated as the vessel had undergone an underwater inspection in a previous port with the subsequent report and findings forwarded to the New Zealand Government for review prior to entry. The Government quickly rejected approval for the vessel to enter due to fouling evident on the hulls niche areas. It is a strict requirement that all vessels entering New Zealand territorial waters must be cleared by the New Zealand Ministry of Environmental Protection and be 100% free of any and all bio-fouling to dissuade the introduction of invasive species into New Zealand waters. Due to the schedule urgency, the impending holiday, and potential revenue loss, the client requested a Phoenix dive team immediately mobilise to the vessel to perform a niche area cleaning and subsequent underwater video inspection. The Phoenix team arrived in a timely manner, performed the work, and submitted the evidence to the New Zealand Environmental Protection Authorities so that the vessel was able to be cleared in time to fulfil is obligated charter on December 28 th in Auckland. Phoenix has also announced the award of a US$97m (maximum value) contract to provide diving and diving related services to the US Navy. The primary purpose of this contract is to deliver operational, engineering and technical support to the Navy’s air, mixed gas and saturation diving services program overseen by the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Office of Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV). Work will be performed world-wide based on each individual task orders. Commenting on the award, Phoenix President Patrick Keenan stated, “Phoenix has a long history of providing diving related services to the U.S. Navy and we are honoured by SUPSALV’s selection of our company to continue performing this critical mission.”

SGS signs Singapore acquisition

Subsea Global Solutions (SGS), recently announced that it has acquired the commercial diving division of T&T Salvage Asia (TTSA). The acquisition will serve to enhance SGS’ capabilities in Singapore and strengthen its leading position in the Asia-Pacific region. Commenting on the acquisition, Paul Peters, CEO of SGS said, “This is a strategic addition to our recent acquisition of Underwater Contractors (UWC). Creating a single platform under the SGS umbrella with the most advanced technologies, special repair equipment, and more than 40 skilled diver/ technicians will give us the optimum operational

efficiency as well as the bench depth to deliver unparalleled value to our customers in this highly competitive market.” Capt. Satnam Singh Kumar, Managing Director-Asia Pacific for SGS said, “I am excited to take on the challenge of integrating both UWC and the commercial diving division of TTSA under the SGS brand and building the most capable commercial diving company in Singapore. TTSA has a great reputation and will complement UWC’s capabilities nicely, as we aim to transform the commercial diving industry globally, focusing to raise the bar on the safety and quality overall in all segments we operate in.” Kevin Teichman, Founder and Owner of TTSA added, “We are delighted to partner with SGS in this deal which will allow the Singapore Diving Entity to continue providing unparalleled service to our clients while also building upon the services offered. Diving remains an integral part of our salvage and emergency response business, so aligning with the world’s largest commercial diving organisation with a similarly impressive safety track record will yield greater opportunities for both sides, and most importantly our clients will have access to a wider array of services.” SORJ